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The top off-ball linebacker is off the board. The Bears entered the mix and will sign Tremaine Edmunds<\/a>, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets<\/a>.<\/p>\n After passing on a monster Roquan Smith<\/a> extension, GM Ryan Poles will pay up big for Edmunds. The ex-Bills linebacker scored a four-year, $72M deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets<\/a>. He secured $50M guaranteed, Schefter adds, noting this is the biggest four-year deal given to an off-ball \u2018backer.<\/p>\n This contract checks in just behind Smith\u2019s in Baltimore but also falls just below \u2014 AAV-wise, that is \u2014 the pacts given to Shaquille Leonard<\/a> and Fred Warner<\/a> in 2021. For guarantees, however, Edmunds will only trail Smith, who secured $60M in total guarantees from the Ravens.<\/p>\n Edmunds, a 2018 first-round pick, spent the first five seasons of his career in Buffalo, compiling at least 100 tackles in each of those campaigns and earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods. He continued being productive in 2022, finishing with 102 tackles in 13 games while finishing as Pro Football Focus\u2019 fifth-best linebacker among 81 qualifiers. He also earned the best coverage score at his position.<\/p>\n Despite his production, it didn\u2019t sound like Edmunds was long for Buffalo. While the organization obviously made an attempt to re-sign the linebacker, it sounds like the Bills are confident pairing a cheaper off-ball linebacker to play alongside strongside LB Matt Milano<\/a>, including in-house options like Tyrel Dodson<\/a> and\/or Terrel Bernard<\/a>. Plus, it sounds like both the Bills and Edmunds were anticipating a deal that would ultimately be too pricey for the organization. Edmunds was far and away the best available free agent at his position, joining a grouping that includes Zach Cunningham<\/a>, Lavonte David<\/a>, Deion Jones<\/a>, Denzel Perryman<\/a> and Germaine Pratt<\/a>. Edmunds indicated that he was a flight risk when he discussed his impending free agency last month.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna let the process take shape,\u201d Edmunds said in February<\/a>. \u201cLike, you know, they\u2019ve been good to me, so I definitely say \u2018thank you\u2019 to the Bills for everything that they\u2019ve done for me these last five years, but like I said, man, I\u2019m\u2026in the backseat.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bears were willing to pony up, with the front office stealing another headline following a busy start to the offseason. Besides trading the No. 1 pick for a haul that included a pair of firsts and wideout D.J. Moore<\/a>, the organization also signed linebacker T.J. Edwards<\/a> to a three-year pact worth $19.5M and guard Nate Davis<\/a> to a three-year, $30M deal.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n