Drew Dalman, the Pro Bowl Bears center, reportedly is retiring at age 27

Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune on Mar 3, 2026

Published in Football

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CHICAGO — Chicago Bears center Drew Dalman has informed the team he is retiring at age 27, according to multiple national reports.

Dalman has played five seasons in the NFL, including one with the Bears. He signed a three-year, $42 million free-agent contract with the team last March.

He started at center in all 17 regular-season games and both playoff games and earned his first Pro Bowl selection. He was the only Bears player to play every offensive snap in the 2026 season.

Dalman was a big part of the offensive line revamping the Bears executed last offseason. General manager Ryan Poles traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson ahead of free agency, then signed Dalman to completely retool the interior of the line.

Dalman was considered the top center on the free-agent market when he signed with the Bears. A fourth-round draft pick out of Stanford in 2021, he played his four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.

With two years remaining on his contract, Dalman now appears to be stepping away from football. That creates a big hole on the Bears offensive line with free-agency negotiations set to begin Monday.

The Bears already had questions at left tackle. Ozzy Trapilo, who started there during the second half of last season, suffered a patellar tendon injury in his knee in the wild-card round of the playoffs and is expected to miss a good portion of next season.

The Bears had backup center/guard Ryan Bates on the roster last season, but Bates is set to become a free agent. Luke Newman, a sixth-round draft pick last year, can play guard or center, but he played sparingly on offense last season.

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