Grady Jarrett on signing with the Bears: ‘I think the perfect match came along’

After the Atlanta Falcons released Grady Jarrett earlier this offseason in a salary-cap-clearing move, it did not take him long to find a new home. He very quickly signed a three-year, $42.75 million contract to join new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s unit with the Chicago Bears.

“It’s an exciting time,” Jarrett said, via the team’s official website. “I’m just ready for a new challenge. I feel like the work that I’ve done in Atlanta is never ending, but it served its purpose as far as my time with the Falcons. The things and the lessons that I learned in my hometown, I want to bring it to Chicago and just be my best self, and I’m just excited for a new challenge.”

The 10-year veteran is coming off a season in which he notched 53 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits and 2.5 sacks. He’s five years removed from his back-to-back Pro Bowl campaigns in 2019 and 2020, but he’s continued to play at a fairly high level since then. Now, he’s going to play in a new city, on a new defense, and with some new teammates.

“I think the perfect match came along when I had the opportunity to join this team,” Jarrett said, via NFL Media. “Being a part of something that is going to start here is special. Me being somebody who wants to be in a position to compete for championships, encourage younger guys around me, and really share my experience and my hunger for greatness to others who want to achieve it. I’m in a special place in a special time, in a special moment where I’m supposed to be.”

The Bears are starting over with new head coach Ben Johnson and his staff, so there is certainly the opportunity to be in on the start of something special. That’s often been the case with the Bears, though, because they are seemingly always starting over. Time will tell if this version of the restart fulfills the promise Jarrett sees for it.