Drew Dalman makes feelings clear on $42,000,000 move to Chicago in free agency - "Bears are a historic team"

Drew Dalman entered the 2025 NFL free agency period as one of the best interior linemen available. The former Atlanta Falcons center was projected to have plenty of teams interested in signing him. He recently made his decision among the potential suitors, signing with the Chicago Bears on a three-year contract worth $42 million, including $28 million in guaranteed money.

He recently conducted his introductory press conference with the Bears and talked about what played into his decision to go to Chicago. Their extensive franchise history and team culture were apparently among the biggest reasons why he made his choice.

"The things that are most important to me with football are about the culture that I'm playing in and the people that I'm playing next to and the vision for the team as a whole," Dalman said on Wednesday. "All of those things were at the top of mind for me as far as finding the next home.

"On top of that, the Bears are an historic team and this is an awesome town. That's something that I think everyone wants to be a part of. It's made the whole thing really enticing for me."

With franchise history important to Dalman, it's understandable why he chose to sign with the Bears. They, along with the Arizona Cardinals, are the oldest franchises in NFL history with 1920 being their first active season.

They won eight championships before the Super Bowl era and also added a ring since then in their more than 100 years of football. He is hoping to be a part of another after praising the direction of the franchise and his addition helps solve one of its biggest weaknesses going forward.

Drew Dalman helps to rebuild Bears' offensive line

Drew Dalman (image credit: getty)

Blocking was one of the biggest issues for the Chicago Bears last season as Caleb Williams was the most sacked quarterback in the NFL. He was sacked 68 times, which was at least 16 more than any other QB last year.

The Bears are aware of this and have been active in trying to solve it during the offseason. They completed trades to acquire Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson to upgrade their offensive line before adding Drew Dalman. The three are expected to start along the interior of their offensive line, potentially eliminating a major weakness.