The Atlanta Falcons will host the Chicago Bears this Sunday, and even though they don't play in the same division, the two teams might as well be cousins at this point. Atlanta hired general manager Ian Cunningham away from Chicago's front office and acquired a handful of former Bears players in the months since.
Former Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, who's undoubtedly one of the best players in franchise history, signed with the Bears in 2025. Jarrett will return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first time since departing in free agency.
The former fifth-round pick out of Clemson spent 10 seasons in Atlanta and served as the face of the defense for the bulk of that span. Jarrett, a Georgia native, recorded 496 tackles (267 solo), 126
QB hits and 36.5 sacks over 152 games with the Falcons.
The 33-year-old is excited to return to Atlanta, where he made two Pro Bowls and one All-Pro second team.
"It's going to be awesome to play there. All the time I spent there," Jarrett told reporters on Wednesday. "It's going to be cool to be back on that turf. I’m going to go out there, compete and do what I’m going to do.”
#Bears DT Grady Jarrett on facing the #Falcons: "It's going to be awesome to play there. All the time I spent there…. It's going to be cool to be back on that turf. I’m going to go out there, compete and do what I’m going to do.” pic.twitter.com/uLFuqwsFQb
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@BowTieSportsGuy) October 14, 2026
Since signing with the Bears in 2025, Jarrett has appeared in 19 games, recording 50 tackles (17 solo), 10 QB hits, three passes defended and 1.5 sacks.
The former Falcons defensive tackle currently ranks second in the NFL in run-stop win rate, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi. Meanwhile, current Falcons defensive tackle LaCale London leads the NFL with a run-stop win rate of 48 percent.
Sunday's game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Both teams are expected to have their starting quarterbacks in Week 6.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Bears DT Grady Jarrett excited to face Falcons in return to Atlanta
