The Chicago Bears have signed linebacker T.J. Edwards to a three-year, $19.5 million deal, making him one of the steals of free agency.
Edwards, a Lake Villa, Ill., native, grew up a Bears fan. He idolized players like Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Mike Brown and Devin Hester. For Edwards, the opportunity to play for his hometown team was too great to pass up.
That’s not unlike another Bears linebacker, Jack Sanborn, who grew up in Lake Zurich, Ill. And just like Sanborn, Edwards was an undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin before proving himself on the field.
In fact, Edwards and Sanborn were teammates at Wisconsin in 2018. Now, they’re reunited in Chicago. And Edwards admitted that he was a little envious seeing how Sanborn landed with his hometown team last offseason.
“Not gonna lie I was a little jealous when I saw he signed with Chicago coming out of school,” Edwards said on 670 the Score with Parkins & Spiegel. “I was just so happy for him, man. And to see him go do what he did last year. I was just so proud of him. And I think a guy who’s just going to be so much better and just a workhorse, too. He’s a great player. I’m excited again that that room is going to be special, for sure.”
It’s hard not to notice the similarities between Edwards and Sanborn. Both have had to prove themselves as undrafted players, but the work they’ve put in hasn’t gone unnoticed. Edwards took notice of that when it came to Sanborn’s rookie year.
“I think it’s something to be said for guys who just understand the game and understand how to play,” Edwards said. “That’s why I followed Jack his whole career out of Wisconsin when I left. When he came in, I knew he was going to be different. I could tell by the way he played the game and understood it, that he knew what was going on.”
Now, the former college teammates who grew up aspiring to play for their hometown Bears will get a chance to live that dream together.
