The Chicago Bears turned things around quickly during Ben Johnson's first season at head coach. Chicago immediately made upgrading their offensive line a priority, swinging deals to acquire Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney. One of Chicago's other offensive linemen made a shocking announcement on Tuesday before the start of the new league year.
Bears Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman told Chicago that he is retiring from the NFL at the age of 27 per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Dalman spent four years with the Falcons before signing with the Bears during free agency last spring. It was a three-year contract worth $42 million that should have kept Dalman in Chicago through the 2027 season.
That means that Dalman spent a total of five seasons in the NFL before hanging up his cleats.
Dalman was a stabilizing force on Chicago's offensive line. He started every game in 2025 and excelled in both pass protection and as a run blocker. In fact, he was one of the top 10 interior offensive linemen in terms of pass block win rate last season.
Now the offensive line is suddenly a big need once again for the Bears this offseason.
Chicago will be on the hunt for a replacement for Dalman over the next few months. The Bears may also make an investment at left tackle after Ozzy Trapilo suffered a patellar tendon injury during the playoffs.
However, the Bears may need to make some additional moves to free up cap space first.
Chicago is currently $7.46 million over the 2026 salary cap just a week before NFL free agency. But the Bears should get some cap relief by not having to pay Dalman's $11 million base salary in 2026.
Perhaps the Bears will move on from DJ Moore, who has the team's largest cap hit at $28.5 million, to free up some budget.
Either way, Dalman's surprising retirement announcement just made the offseason much more interesting for Bears fans.
