Bears Pro Bowl Center Drew Dalman to retire at age 27 – reports

Chicago Bears center Drew Dalman announced his retirement at the age of 27, following his first Pro Bowl season, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.

Dalman joined the Bears last offseason on a three-year, $42 million contract after spending four years with the Atlanta Falcons. Chicago also strengthened its offensive line by trading for guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney, the latter a 2025 Pro Bowl selection. The Bears went on to win the NFC North and claimed their first playoff victory in 15 years under first-year head coach Ben Johnson.

At the time of his March 2025 signing, Dalman’s $14 million annual salary made him the NFL’s second-highest-paid center, behind Thuney’s former Kansas City Chiefs teammate, Creed Humphrey.

NFL Network reported that the Bears are currently hosting veteran center Tyler Biadasz, recently released by the Washington Commanders, as they look to fill the roster gap.

Dalman started all 17 regular-season games for Chicago, playing 100% of the team’s 1,154 offensive snaps, and also started both playoff games.

Before joining the Bears, he started 40 consecutive games over three seasons in Atlanta after appearing in 17 games as a rookie reserve in 2021. Dalman played 14 games in 2023 but was limited to nine games in 2024 due to ankle injuries.

The Falcons selected Dalman in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Stanford University.

-Field Level Media/Reuters