Chicago Bears center Drew Dalman is retiring at age 27 and after his first Pro Bowl season, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.
Dalman signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Bears last offseason after four years with the Atlanta Falcons. Chicago also bulked up the offensive line by trading for guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney (also a 2025 Pro Bowl pick). The Bears went on to win the NFC North and their first playoff game in 15 years under first-year head coach Ben Johnson.
Dalman’s annual average salary of $14 million at the time of the March 2025 signing made him the NFL’s second-highest-paid center behind Thuney’s former Kansas City Chiefs teammate, Creed Humphrey.
NFL Network reported on Tuesday that Chicago is hosting veteran center Tyler Biadasz, recently released by the Washington Commanders.
Dalman started all 17 regular-season games — playing 100% of the 1,154 offensive snaps — and two playoff games for the Bears.
He started his last 40 games across three seasons in Atlanta after appearing in 17 as a reserve as a rookie in 2021. He played in 14 games in 2023 and only nine in 2024 due to ankle injuries.
Atlanta selected him in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Stanford.
