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Sweet Dreams: Bears Will Not Tender Jack 'The Sandman' Sanborn

Originally posted on On Tap Sports Net | By Nick DeMao | Last updated Mar 4, 2025 9:57 PM ET

The Chicago Bears continued an active news cycle on Tuesday, following up their trade for Jonah Jackson with the announcement that the team will not be tendering restricted free agent linebacker Jack Sanborn.

The #Bears are not tendering RFA linebacker Jack Sanborn, per source.

Their starting Sam linebacker the past two seasons also has seven starts as an MLB, when he had 71 tackles (six for loss) and three QB hurries. He’s now set to hit free agency. pic.twitter.com/G88lbFMcJO
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 4, 2025

Sanborn, an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin in 2022, started 19 games for the Bears over the past three seasons and accounted for 164 tackles, 4.5 sacks, one interception, and 14 tackles for loss.

The move comes as a surprise, as Sanborn proved himself a viable starter in the league. Now, after starters Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards, the Bears' linebacking corps is thin on depth and could be an area addressed in either free agency or the upcoming NFL Draft.

Despite the non-tender, the Bears could return Sanborn to the roster. However, any contract that would be negotiated would be independent of the restricted free agent tender that Sanborn otherwise would receive.

Perhaps Sanborn returns to the Bears when it is all said and done. However, if the Wisconsin product elects to sign elsewhere, it could be cause for some head scratching when examining the state of the linebacker position on the Bears' roster.

This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.

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