Bears Sign New Deal With Ex-Packers DL Ahead of Free Agency

The Chicago Bears are locking one more piece into place before the NFL’s legal tampering period kicks off 2025 free-agent negotiations on Monday.

According to Over the Cap, the Bears have tendered defensive lineman Jonathan Ford — a former Green Bay Packers draft pick — as an exclusive rights free agent, locking him into place to return for the 2025 season on a one-year, $1.03 million contract.

Ford — a 2022 seventh-round pick — spent most of his first three NFL seasons with the Packers, splitting his time between their active roster and practice squad but playing in no games. The Packers placed him on injured reserve to begin last season, but they waived him after his activation in October, at which point the Bears scooped him up.

Once in Chicago, Ford began to see some action. He played at least 16 defensive snaps in each of the Bears’ final four games of the regular season, recording nine tackles and one tackle for loss with a career-high five tackles in Week 15’s game against Minnesota.

Ford’s return supplies the Bears with additional depth for the interior of their defensive line for next season behind returning starters Gervon Dexter Sr. and Andrew Billings. His roster spot is far from guaranteed, though, as the Bears will have the option to cut him loose — and saving the full price of his contract — if he fails to earn his keep.

Per OTC, the Bears also tendered cornerback Ameer Speed, defensive end Daniel Hardy and left guard Bill Murray as exclusive rights free agents for the 2025 season.

Bears Also Retain Chris Williams to Bolster Defensive Line

The Bears will most likely look to further supplement their defensive line during free agency and next month’s 2025 NFL draft, but they are pulling just about every other lever they can to keep last year’s depth in place before diving into negotiations.

According to Over the Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald, the Bears also tendered defensive tackle Chris Williams as a restricted free agent at the right-of-first-refusal level. Other teams will be allowed to sign Williams to an offer sheet in free agency, but the tender affords the Bears the opportunity to match their offer to keep him in place for next season.

If Williams receives no other offers, he will return on a $3.263 million contract in 2025.

The Bears traded a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns to acquire Williams just before the start of the 2024 regular season, adding him to the rotation to bolster their depth after 2023 third-round pick Zacch Pickens suffered a preseason injury. In 17 games of action, he tallied three sacks, seven quarterback hits and 23 total tackles.

Will Bears Make Big-Time Investment in Defensive Line?

The Bears are taking the necessary steps to prepare their roster for the start of free agency, but how much value Ford and Williams have moving forward could change if they make a big splash early in the negotiating period for their defensive line.

The question is: Will they finally make it happen?

The Bears will have options at either edge rusher or defensive tackle if they want to go shopping for better talent in free agency. Philadelphia’s Josh Sweat and Las Vegas’ Malcolm Koonce are starter-quality edge rushers still in their prime who could land significant, multi-year contracts on the open market. A better fit for the Bears, however, might be reuniting with veteran Khalil Mack, who is older but would likely cost less.

On the interior, the Bears will have more recently released veterans available, such as Javon Hargrave or Jonathan Allen. Chicago could kick the tires on signing one of them to a short-term deal to boost their depth situation. If they want a more potent signing, though, Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams might be the cream of the crop.

The NFL’s legal tampering period will begin at noon ET on Monday.