We’ve reached the final four Chicago Bears that have the most to prove in 2026. Today’s player is our second consecutive defensive lineman, and it is Grady Jarrett.
When the Bears signed Grady Jarrett last offseason, it came just two days after the Falcons released him in a cost-cutting move. Bears fans, myself included, immediately jumped for joy. Grady Jarrett is a Chicago Bear? He’s a game wrecker!
But how many of us were watching Atlanta Falcons football games in 2024? Why would the Falcons release
Jarrett if he was still wrecking games? There were legitimate questions. Word came down that the Falcons wanted to renegotiate Jarrett’s contract and that they couldn’t come to an agreement with him. Jarrett had a $20 million cap hit, a pretty big number, but certainly an acceptable one if he was still playing at a high level.
Dennis Allen needed a penetrating defensive tackle, so when the opportunity arose to sign Jarret, the Bears jumped. But the truth was that Jarrett had not been the same dominant force he had been from about 2018 to 2022. Jarrett was hurt and missed over half of 2023, and the player he was in 2024 was certainly not the same guy he was a couple of years before that. With Jarrett being on the wrong side of 30, the Falcons moved on.
Unfortunately for the Bears, Jarrett took another step back in 2025, and if the trend continues, Jarrett will most likely take another step back in 2026.
Jarrett was dealing with injuries last season and did try to play through some nagging issues that certainly could have affected his play. A healthier Jarrett could certainly be a more effective Jarrett, but at 33-years-old, the chances are good that Jarrett’s 2026 will look a lot more like 2025 than 2021.
But there is certainly a chance Jarrett could wind back the clock, and the Bears’ defensive line desperately needs him to do just that. The Bears, for whatever reason, chose to run back a defensive line that was one of the worst in football last season. They made zero significant additions to the line, and it’s not like the line is loaded with young talent that you can expect to take a step forward.
If Jarrett somehow finds that Pro Bowl gear that he had half a decade ago, it completely changes the Bears defensive line outlook, but if Jarrett plays like he did last year, where it wasn’t just that he wasn’t quite as good as he once was, but that he was even a liability at times, that’s going to keep this defensive line very mediocre.
Jarrett’s playing for his future in Chicago. Jarrett signed a 3-year deal last year; his 2027 cap hit is $17.5 million, but if the Bears cut him, he leaves just $4m behind in dead cap. The Bears are locked into him this year, but can very easily move on from him after this season.
Jarrett needs to show that despite his age, he’s still an excellent player who can disrupt a game and that he’s far better than what he showed on the football field in 2025. Jarrett is a leader in the Bears locker room, and I’m sure the Bears would love to have him back in 2027 if he can live up to the contract he signed.
If Jarrett looks like he did last year, or even if he improves, but not enough, the Bears will not hesitate to release Jarrett and open up cap space to rework this defensive line.
This is certainly a big year for Jarrett in Chicago, and that’s why he comes in at number four on our list of the ten Bears with the most to prove.
