Jedrick Wills signs one-year Bears deal, signaling a low-risk line reset

The Chicago Bears are signing former Cleveland Browns first-round offensive tackle jedrick wills Jr. to a one-year contract. The move signals a clear direction: Chicago is taking a short-term, low-commitment approach to adding a lineman with a first-round pedigree, after a stretch defined by injury and limited availability.

Jedrick Wills Jr. lands in Chicago after an injury-defined stretch

The confirmed development is straightforward: Jedrick Wills Jr. is set to sign a one-year deal with the Bears. That contract length is the first and most visible signal in the transaction, because it keeps the commitment limited while giving the Bears a chance to evaluate what Wills can provide now.

The context also outlines why Wills’ availability has been the central variable. He missed all of the 2025 season due to a torn MCL suffered the year before. Before that, he was limited to just a handful of games with a knee injury in 2024. In that 2024 season, Wills appeared in five games and made four starts for the Browns at left tackle.

Even with those recent gaps, Wills arrives with credentials that teams still weigh heavily. He was drafted by the Browns in the first round out of Alabama in 2020, and the Bears are now betting that the player who entered the league as a top selection can re-establish himself on a new roster.

Adam Schefter and Jordan Schultz details show a fast-moving market for Wills

Two separate signals in the context point to how quickly Wills’ return-to-play market developed. One is the confirmation that the Bears are signing him to a one-year deal. Another is the note that, last week, Wills began visiting organizations as he looks to return to the NFL, including the Patriots and Lions.

That sequence matters for trajectory, because it shows Wills’ return was not theoretical. Visits with multiple organizations indicate a process that advanced beyond interest into in-person evaluation, and the Bears emerged as the team ready to put a one-year contract in place.

The context also frames the arc of Wills’ time in Cleveland. It describes a “promising start” followed by a period where his career “deteriorate[d], ” overlapping with the knee injuries that curtailed his availability. At the same time, the Browns’ prior contract decisions underscore how teams once planned around him: Cleveland picked up Wills’ fifth-year option for the 2024 season, and restructured his deal in August of 2023, then again in March of 2024 to create $10. 44 million in cap space.

The Bears’ one-year structure points toward flexibility, not a long bet

The visible direction in the Bears’ approach is contained in two facts: Wills is joining on a one-year deal, and he is coming off a full missed season in 2025 after the torn MCL suffered the year before. A one-year pact fits a framework where a team can add a former first-round talent while keeping future options open, especially when the most recent seasons in the context include five total appearances in 2024 and none in 2025.

Still, the signing also reflects that Wills is considered healthy enough to pursue a new job now. The context states he “fully expected to sign with a new team now that he’s recovered, ” and Chicago’s agreement completes that step. The Bears are effectively turning that recovery timeline into a live evaluation period.

• Based on context data: Wills appeared in five games in 2024 and made four starts at left tackle.
• Based on context data: Wills missed all of the 2025 season due to a torn MCL suffered the year before.
• Based on context data: He was drafted in the first round in 2020 out of Alabama.

If the one-year plan continues… the Bears’ decision to keep the deal to one season signals an evaluation-first posture, where Wills’ performance and availability would dictate whether any longer-term commitment is even considered. The context does not describe any multi-year discussions, and the one-year structure leaves future choices open by design.

Should the injury recovery prove stable over time… Wills’ path could shift from “returning to the NFL” to re-establishing himself as a dependable option. The context supports only the starting point of that scenario: he missed 2025 and is now signing, after being limited to five games in 2024.

The next confirmed milestone in the context is the signing itself: Jedrick Wills Jr. is set to sign his one-year deal with the Bears. What the context does not resolve is how quickly he will be able to contribute on the field, or what role Chicago envisions for him beyond the fact of the contract agreement. For now, the trend is clear: the Bears are using a short-term contract to test whether a former first-round tackle can turn recovery into a workable comeback.