jedrick wills is headed to Chicago on a one-year contract as the Bears move to add a former first-round offensive tackle to their roster. The agreement was disclosed at 3: 00 PM ET, with the deal described as a one-year signing. The move brings jedrick wills back into the NFL mix after he missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from a knee injury.
Deal details: One-year contract as Bears add tackle depth
The Chicago Bears are signing Jedrick Wills Jr. to a one-year contract, a move tied directly to the team adding an experienced offensive tackle who was previously a first-round pick by the Cleveland Browns. The one-year structure is the only contract length specified, and no additional financial terms were confirmed in the information available at 3: 00 PM ET.
Jedrick Wills Jr. last played for Cleveland, where he appeared in five games and made four starts at left tackle in 2024. He then sat out the entire 2025 season to recover from a knee injury. In the same set of details, the injury timeline included a torn MCL suffered the year before, and the 2025 absence was described as recovery time related to that knee issue.
The Bears’ signing places jedrick wills into a new situation after his time in Cleveland, with Chicago now the team set to bring him in on the one-year arrangement.
Jedrick Wills and the injury timeline: 2024 limited action, 2025 full-season absence
Injury recovery is central to this signing. Jedrick Wills sat out the entire 2025 season to recover from a knee injury, and the same injury arc also referenced a torn MCL suffered the year before. Additionally, in 2024 he was limited to a handful of games with a knee injury and ultimately appeared in five games with four starts at left tackle for the Browns.
One report described that he fully expected to sign with a new team once recovered, and the Bears are now the team moving to sign him to that one-year deal. The available details do not specify medical clearance dates, the precise timing of the injury beyond the references provided, or whether any conditions are attached to the contract.
What led here: A former Browns first-round pick changes teams
Jedrick Wills, 27, was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round out of Alabama in 2020. He signed a four-year, $19, 702, 911 rookie contract that included an $11, 889, 390 signing bonus. The Browns picked up his fifth-year option for the 2024 season, and his contract was restructured in August 2023 and again in March 2024 to create $10. 44 million in cap space.
In the lead-up to this agreement, a separate note stated that Wills began visiting organizations as he looked to return to the NFL, including the Patriots and Lions. The Bears, though, are the team now set to sign him, making this the clearest next step in his return after the 2025 season away.
From here, the immediate next development will be the Bears’ handling of his integration and availability, with the signing now positioning jedrick wills to compete for a role following his year-long recovery period.
