The Chicago Bears acted immediately to fill their vacancy at center, acquiring Garrett Bradbury from the New England Patriots on Friday in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round draft pick, according to multiple reports.
The transaction would become official on Wednesday when the new NFL year starts.
The trade was made three days after Chicago center Drew Dalman announced his retirement. The Bears officially placed Dalman on the reserve/retired list on Friday.
Bradbury started all 17 regular-season games for
the Patriots last season, as well as all four playoff games, including the Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
He is scheduled to receive a base salary of $3.7 million in 2026, with a cap hit of $5.7 million, during the final season of a two-year contract.
Bradbury, 30, spent his first six NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, who selected him in the first round (18th overall) of the 2019 draft out of North Carolina State. He signed a two-year, $9.5 million free-agent deal with New England last March.
Bradbury has played 105 NFL games, all starts, and has appeared in at least 12 games in every season.
With his departure, the Patriots are expected to make left guard Jared Wilson their new center. Wilson, a 2025 third-round pick out of Georgia, started 13 regular-season games and all four playoff games for New England as a rookie.
Dalman, 27, called it a career after receiving a Pro Bowl nod in his fifth NFL season. He played 57 games (40 starts) for the Atlanta Falcons over four years before starting all 17 games for Chicago last year.
--Field Level Media
