The offseason of hard decisions continued for the Chicago Bears continued Thursday night. The team reportedly released linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report the move.

The move comes as the Bears continue to create salary cap space ahead of the start of free agency next week. Edmunds had one year left on his contract and will save Chicago $15 million in cap space. Chicago reportedly allowed Edmunds to seek a trade but ultimately released the linebacker.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles hinted that a move could come at the NFL Scouting Combine last week. When asked about Edmunds’ future with the team, Poles didn’t give a direct answer.

“There’s a couple guys we’ve got to make decisions on,” Poles said. “You know, if that’s trade, release, there’s ... few options that we can go down to create some space. But like I said before, this is a unique situation where we’ve gotten our roster in a position where we have a lot of talented players, a lot of guys getting paid well, and that puts some constraints on the cap. So we got to make some tough decisions. And, you know, like I said, when we win games, you create these relationships. There’s leadership guys or guys that were captains that mean a lot to our organization. But when you’re kind of put in a corner, that’s what league’s been and has been.”

Edmunds was one of the first big free agency Poles made as Bears general manager in 2023. Poles signed Edmunds to a four-year, $72 million contract to lead former head coach Matt Eberflus’ defense along with linebacker T.J. Edwards.

Edmunds finished near the top in some defensive categories during his time in Chicago. He finished second in tackles in 2023 (113) and third in 2024 (110).

He took a major step in 2025 when the Bears moved Edmunds from the middle linebacker to the weakside linebacker spot under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. The move allowed Edmunds to use his speed and length to his advantage like he had earlier in his career when he earned two Pro Bowl honors.

Edmunds showed that progress in the box score too. He had four interceptions in the first eight games of the season, which ranked amongst the best in the NFL at the time. But a groin injury forced Edmunds to miss four games later in the season. He returned for the final three games of the regular season and the playoffs but couldn’t play at the same level as he had before.

The move is the latest in the Bears’ effort to cut cap space. Chicago will reportedly trade wide receiver DJ Moore and a 2026 fifth-round to the the Buffalo Bills for a 2026 second-round pick.

The Bears will now need to look for more support in the linebacker room, potentially in free agency or in the draft. Chicago signed Edwards to a two-year contract extension in August that will keep him with the team through the 2027 season.

Noah Sewell is also a returning starter but he suffered an Achilles injury against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17.