Tremaine Edmonds is one of the biggest names on the 2023 NFL free agency market. The Buffalo Bills linebacker is a five-year NFL veteran, a two-time Pro Bowler, and still just 24 years old. The Bills would love to keep him, but with a tight salary cap situation, the franchise has some tough decisions to make this offseason, and Edmunds is one of them. If he does leave Buffalo, teams like the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears would love to have him.
When the Bills picked Edmunds in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft at pick No. 16, the 19-year-old was the third-youngest player ever drafted in Round 1 (behind Amobi Okoye and Danielle Hunter). Despite his young age, the former Virginia Tech Hokie quickly became a starter as a rookie and a Pro Bowler by season two.
After leading the Bills in tackles in four of his five seasons, Edmunds hits NFL free agency as one of the top linebackers available and one of the few who can be a true long-term building block. That’s why several teams in various stages of rebuilds will be in on him.
3. Chicago Bears
The Bears have one thing that no other team in the league does heading into NFL free agency; the most cap room of any team. Chicago currently had $98,841,200 in cap space, more than $43 million over the next team (Atlanta Falcons).
This war chest means that the Bears can pay any free agent pretty much whatever they want in order to sign them.
Spotrac estimates Tremaine Edmund’s market value as a four-year, $44 million deal. That $11 million annual average value would make him the eighth-highest-paid inside linebacker in the league in 2023. The Bears could easily go as high as $15 million to get him into the top five if they want.
Also, the Bears offer a history at the position that no other franchise can. If this type of thing matters to Edmunds, he could be the next in line after Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, Brian Urlacher, and most recently, Roquan Smith.
From a current perspective, Edmunds would team up with up-and-coming undrafted rookie Jack Sanborn to form a new scary LB group, just like he had with Matt Milano on the Bills.
2. Detroit Lions
Moving a little further up the rebuild totem pole, Tremaine Edmunds could also look at another team in the Bears’ NFC North and sign with the Lions in NFL free agency.
Detroit doesn’t have the cap room Chicago has, but their $23,134,119 puts them in the top 10 of franchises, and they could easily give Edmunds a top-seven LB deal.
The Lions could be an exciting choice for the soon-to-be-25-year-old as he would come in as a veteran leader as well as the cornerstone tackler. And with young pass-rushing monsters like Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston in front of him, Edmunds should have a lot of room to operate.
Plus, the Lions have a need at the position. Last year’s starting MLB, Alex Anzalone, is a free agent himself, and even if Anzalone comes back, Edmunds would be a huge upgrade over the 2022 starter.
Finally, the Lions are a team on the rise in the much weaker NFC, which could make Edmunds’ path to the Super Bowl easier if that is something that motivates the LB.
1. Buffalo Bills
If Tremaine Edmunds goes to the Bears or Lions in NFL free agency, he’ll be in a similar situation. He will be one of the top players on defense and he will have to help a longtime bottom-feeder get to the pro football promised land.
However, he’s already done that work in Buffalo. With the Bills, Edmunds is already on a perennial contender and closer to the Super Bowl than he’d be in 2023 with the Lions or Bears, even in the weaker NFC.
The Bills aren’t in great salary cap shape, but with a few moves, they can open plenty of room to sign one or two of their top free agents. And as good as players like Jordan Poyer are, prioritizing a 24-year-old tackling machine is something the Bills should do.
If Edmunds wants to be one of the highest-paid LBs at $15 million a season or more, then the Bills are probably out. However, if he’s willing to take somewhere in the $11 million neighborhood, Buffalo should be able to figure that out.
In the end, the Bills are the best fit because Edmunds, the team, and everyone else already knows that an Edmunds/Milano pairing is one of the best LB duos in the NFL. Going anywhere else would be a crapshoot.
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