Bears agree to sign LB Tremaine Edmunds

Tremaine Edmunds is a two-time Pro Bowl selection. (Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)

The Bears landed their playmaker at outside linebacker.

Monday, general manager Ryan Poles agreed to sign Tremaine Edmunds on a four-year deal worth $50 million guaranteed and $72 million overall, a source confirmed to the Sun-Times.

A two-time Pro Bowl player in his five years with the Bills, Edmunds was picked 16th overall in the 2018 draft — eight spots behind Roquan Smith. At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, he embodies the stature that head coach Matt Eberflus prefers in his outside linebackers, considered one of the most important positions in his defense.

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— DJ Moore💫 (@idjmoore) March 13, 2023

Edmunds, who doesn’t turn 25 until May, has posted at least 100 tackles in all five of his seasons. He played for defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier; when Frazier coached the Vikings from 2012-13, Alan Williams was his coordinator. Williams is the Bears’ defensive play-caller.

“Tremaine, it’s been fun to watch him grow,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “He’s such a young player. He was such a young player when we first got him out of the draft. And he’s still a young player with his age. But to watch him mature and grow on the field, off the field has been a true joy as a coach. ...

“You never replace a person or a player like a Tremaine Edmunds.”

He’s the second linebacker the Bears added to their roster Monday alone. The Bears signed the Eagles’ T.J. Edwards to a three-year deal earlier in the day. Edwards figures to play middle linebacker, with Edmunds outside. Jack Sanborn, who played in the middle last season, could play strong-side linebacker or back up Edwards.