The Chicago Bears moved quickly to address the sudden vacancy at center on Saturday, agreeing to a trade with the New England Patriots for veteran Garrett Bradbury. The deal, which is expected to become official when the new league year begins next week, sends a 2026 fifth-round pick to New England in exchange for Bradbury and a 2027 seventh-round selection.
The move comes less than 48 hours after Bears starting center Drew Dalman announced his retirement from the NFL at age 27, citing a desire to prioritize his long-term health after multiple concussions. Dalman, who signed a three-year, $30 million contract with Chicago last March, was expected to anchor the interior of the offensive line for at least the next two seasons. His sudden departure left general manager Ryan Poles with a glaring hole at the pivot position just as the team prepares for a critical offseason under new head coach Ben Johnson.
Bradbury, 30, is a familiar name to evaluators who track the offensive line market. A first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2019, he spent five seasons in Minnesota before signing a two-year, $12 million deal with the Patriots last offseason. In New England, Bradbury started all 17 games at center in 2025, providing steady if unspectacular play for a Patriots offense that struggled with consistency at quarterback and along the rest of the line. He allowed three sacks and committed two penalties over the course of the season, according to internal metrics, while grading out as an above-average run blocker.
For the Bears, the trade is a pragmatic solution to an unexpected problem. Dalman’s retirement left Chicago with no proven option at center on the current roster. Backup lineman Ja’Tyre Carter has some experience at guard but has never started a game at center in the NFL. The team’s 2025 fourth-round pick, tackle Kiran Amegadjie, is still developing and has not taken snaps at the position. Signing a veteran free agent would have been possible, but the Bears would have had to compete with multiple teams in a thin center market. By trading for Bradbury, they secure a player who has started 82 games over six NFL seasons and knows the NFC North from his time in Minnesota.
The financial component is also worth noting. Bradbury is entering the final year of his contract with a base salary of $4.5 million and a cap hit of $5.2 million. The Bears will absorb that figure, which is manageable for a team with roughly $45 million in projected cap space. The trade gives Chicago a one-year bridge at center without committing long-term resources, allowing the front office to evaluate Bradbury in Johnson’s system before deciding whether to extend him or look for a younger option in the 2027 draft.
Scheme fit is a key consideration here. Johnson, who spent the previous three seasons as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator, runs a wide-zone blocking scheme that places a premium on athleticism and lateral quickness from the interior offensive line. Bradbury was drafted by the Vikings specifically to play in a similar scheme under then-offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski, and his best seasons in Minnesota came in 2021 and 2022 when the Vikings leaned heavily on zone runs. His ability to reach the second level and execute combination blocks should translate well to Johnson’s system.
However, there are also clear limitations. Bradbury has struggled against powerful nose tackles throughout his career, particularly in pass protection. The Bears are scheduled to face the Lions twice in 2026, meaning Bradbury will have to contend with Detroit’s Alim McNeill, who has developed into one of the league’s most disruptive interior defenders. Those matchups will be a telling test of whether Bradbury can hold up in a division that features multiple elite defensive lines.
The trade also sends a signal about the Bears’ broader approach to the offensive line this offseason. Poles has invested heavily in the unit over the past two years, using premium draft capital on tackles Darnell Wright (2023 first round) and Amegadjie (2025 fourth round), and signing guards Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis to extensions. The interior was supposed to be solidified by Dalman and Jenkins, with Davis at right guard. Now, the Bears will likely look to add another guard in the draft or free agency to provide depth, as Davis has missed 10 games over the past two seasons due to injury.
For Bradbury, the trade represents a homecoming of sorts. He grew up in the Chicago suburbs and attended high school in Lake Forest, less than 30 miles from Halas Hall. He has maintained a home in the area during the offseason and has frequently spoken about his affinity for the city. In a statement released through the team, Bradbury said he was “excited to play for the team I grew up rooting for” and that he was “ready to help this offense take the next step.”
The Bears are scheduled to open the 2026 regular season at home against the Green Bay Packers on September 13, giving Bradbury roughly six months to acclimate to Johnson’s system and build chemistry with quarterback Caleb Williams. The two have already begun communicating, according to a team source, and Bradbury is expected to report to Halas Hall for voluntary workouts in April.
While the trade does not solve every issue along Chicago’s offensive line, it provides a reliable, experienced starter at the most important interior position. In a league where continuity on the offensive line is increasingly rare, the Bears have found a way to avoid a panic move and instead land a player who fits both the scheme and the salary cap. Whether Bradbury can hold up over a full season in the rugged NFC North remains to be seen, but for a team that just lost its starting center to retirement, this is a solid, sensible answer.