It wasn’t too long ago that the Pittsburgh Steelers were desperately trying to find answers in the middle of their defense at inside linebacker. Ryan Shazier’s career had just come to an abrupt end, and while Vince Williams was a beloved fan favorite, he was far from an elite player.
Eventually, the Steelers landed Patrick Queen and drafted Payton Wilson. Other linebackers helped fill in some gaps, but those two have put in the most work at the position the past few seasons.
However, before Queen was added to the roster, another name had floated in the free agency pool that intrigued Steelers fans. After all, his brother was a former first-round pick on the Steelers’ defense. Of course, I’m talking about Tremaine Edmunds, who landed with the Chicago Bears in free agency instead of Pittsburgh three offseasons ago.
Edmunds is still under contract with the Bears, but there’s reason to believe that he could be a cap casualty this offseason if the Bears don’t feel comfortable with his $17.4 million cap hit in 2026. With many in Steelers Nation not sold on the performance of Queen at the position, Edmunds might be an upgrade worth considering for Pittsburgh this offseason.
Bears LB Tremaine Edmunds could offer the Pittsburgh Steelers the stability they’ve been chasing
Bears analyst Jacob Infante recently posted on X, questioning if Chicago should part with their soon-to-be 28-year-old backer. Edmunds signed a four-year, $72 million contract in 2023 with Chicago, and so far, he’s largely lived up to the contract, offering the Bears' defense much of the same reliable play as he did for the Bills in his first five seasons.
Edmunds posted 112 tackles, three for a loss, including a sack, recovered a fumble, deflected nine passes, and hauled in four interceptions in 2025. The four picks matched a career high, but the rest of his stat sheet is very much in line with a typical season from Edmunds. He also missed just seven tackles, a career best if not for missing just one in 2022, his final season with Buffalo.
By comparison, Queen missed 17 tackles last season, though he did post more tackles. Wilson missed 10.
If the Bears did part with Edmunds, he’d almost certainly be cheaper than his current contract. Edmunds has no guaranteed money left on his contract, and the Bears would save $15 million by cutting him. Over The Cap’s free agent valuation for Edmunds projects his annual worth at roughly $7.3 million per season.Â
The Steelers are in a similar boat with Queen, though Pittsburgh would be looking at $10 million in savings if the Steelers cut him loose as he enters the last season of his three-year, $41 million deal.
That said, it’s not as though Pittsburgh can cut Queen first on the hope of landing Edmunds on the open market. Edmunds is entering his ninth NFL season at just 28 years old. He’s been remarkably consistent in his career, even if he hasn’t quite been categorized as elite, and he’s proven he can stay healthy to boot. If Edmunds does hit free agency, he’ll be a popular target for teams around the league.