Chicago Fire Reportedly Signing Jack Elliott

Center back was a major position of need for the Chicago Fire entering their first offseason under new director of football and head coach Gregg Berhalter and the club has finally addressed that issue in a major way.

The Fire are finalizing a deal with free agent center back Jack Elliott, according to GiveMeSport’s Tom Bogert, to a deal that should shore up a backline that lost former captain Rafael Czichos after the 2024 MLS season.

Elliot, 29, is a 6-foot-6 center back that the Philadelphia Union drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft after four years of college soccer at West Virginia. He was immediately thrust into the MLS fold with the Union and only made two appearances with their former USL Championship affiliate Bethlehem Steel.

Elliot made 225 appearances (212 starts) for Philadelphia over his eight seasons with the club, totaling over 19,000 minutes on the pitch. He was a crucial member of two Philadelphia sides that finished top of the Eastern Conference and scored twice in the 2022 MLS Cup final against LAFC.

He had a base salary of $800,000 in 2024 and it remains to be seen what his compensation will look like with Chicago.

Joe’s Thoughts:

Elliott is exactly the type of solid MLS player that the Fire need on their roster if they want to make the postseason for the first time since 2017. His height makes him a threat on set-pieces at both ends of the pitch while his ability to remain healthy may be his biggest asset. Chicago needed stability in their backline with the departure of Rafael Czichos and the uncertain futures of Carlos Terán and Wyatt Omsberg. Jack Elliott immediately raises Chicago’s floor, something they’ve desperately needed for years.