CHICAGO – The Bears are going to work revamping their defensive front. They agreed on terms with former Colts edger rusher Dayo Odeyingbo on Monday afternoon.

Then they added defensive tackle Grady Jarrett less than an hour later. A league source confirmed the three-year deal to Marquee Sports Network.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report the deal. The agreement will become official on Wednesday, when the new league year begins.

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Schefter stated that Jarrett’s deal is worth $43.5 million in sum, with $28.5 million in guaranteed money.

It came on the heels of his Monday morning release from the Atlanta Falcons, a team he represented during his entire 10-year career, in a cost-cutting move. He was the public face of that franchise after Matt Ryan left, a Georgia native who was incredibly active in the community and an institution in Atlanta.  

The two-time Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro (in 2019) still has it at 31 years old, even after suffering an ACL tear during the 2023 campaign.

His performance dipped a bit in 2024, but he remains an all-around player who is stout against the run and pass.

Jarrett has 36.5 career sacks, 77 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles. He generally plays the three technique, though he can play most anywhere along the interior line. He’ll enter the defensive tackle mix with Gervon Dexter Sr. and Andrew Billings. They’ve got Montez Sweat and Odeyingbo working off the edge and, overall, the Bears defensive line looks a lot better than it did last year. It still needs depth, though, which could come through the NFL draft. The defensive line class is incredibly deep, and top talent could be had with the Bears’ Nos. 39 and 41 overall picks.

The Bears run defense needed improvement and Jarrett should help with that, but he has traditionally been a three-down player. Jarrett is also a well-respected locker-room leader, especially in his position group. He’ll become the defensive line’s elder statesman and standard setter when it comes to work ethic and drive.

This is yet another example of the Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson acting decisively to get what they want. They’ve added five players to their offensive and defensive lines to this point, seemingly shoring up areas of weakness. If the fronts play better and Caleb Williams shows better, this Bears team could get competitive in a hurry.