Bears waste no time with $135.5M spending spree

Here’s a sentence that would not have made any sense before last season: The Bears are following the Jaguars’ recipe for instant success.

The Bears were the big spenders on the first day of NFL free agency, agreeing to terms with inside linebackers Tremaine Edmunds (four years, $72 million) and T.J. Edwards (three years, $19.5 million), offensive guard Nate Davis (three years, $30 million) and defensive end DeMarcus Walker (two years, $14 million). The lump sum of $135.5 million is just past halfway to the Jaguars’ mark of $260 million spent on seven players over the first two days of free agency last offseason.

It worked for the Jaguars, who went from the worst record in the league to division champions and winning a playoff game. The Bears, who haven’t won a playoff game since 2010, are accelerating their rebuild with a potentially wideopen NFC North if Aaron Rodgers leaves the Packers.

The Bears entered free agency with a league-high $96 million in salary cap space, though they also added the final three years and $52.3 million of receiver D.J. Moore’s contract. They still have premium needs at offensive tackle and pass-rusher.

Moore was a centerpiece of the Bears’ recent trade down from the No. 1 to No. 9 pick in the upcoming draft. The Jaguars held onto the No. 1 pick in 2022.

Here are three other takeaways from the start of free agency:

1. Eagles, Bengals weakened

Two top Super Bowl contenders took hits Monday.

The Eagles lost three defensive starters — defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (49ers), Edwards (Bears) and safety Marcus Epps (Raiders) on multi-year deals with a maximum value of $115.5 million — and have four more unsigned. Andre Dillard, who couldn’t crack the starting offensive line, signed for three-years and $29 million with the Titans.

“The Eagles are built very well offensively,” one rival coach told The Post. “If they can rebuild that defensive front, they will be very good for the foreseeable future, but that’s a key part. I like their coaching staff and [general manager] Howie Roseman finds ways to keep paying players, so I see them being very competitive for the next 3-5 years.”

The Bengals lost their starting safety duo of Jessie Bates (Falcons) and Vonn Bell (Panthers). Bates bagged $64 million over four years.

It wasn’t a total bust. Free-agent center Jason Kelce announced he is returning to the Eagles instead of retiring, and the Bengals retained inside linebacker Germaine Pratt (three years, $21 million) for less than expected.

2. Paging point-scorers

NFL rules favor offenses, but the start of free agency favored defense.

Only one receiver, tight end or running back secured a deal that averaged more than $2 million per year after the first seven hours of free agency: Block-first tight end Josh Oliver (three years, $21 million) with the Ravens. Pass-catchers Dalton Schultz, Mike Gesicki and others wait on.

The top of the receiver market was thinned by a slew of trades and extensions in recent seasons and no team caved on the reported sky-high asking prices of Jakobi Meyers (never had a 1,000yard season) and Odell Beckham Jr. (sat out last season recovering from a second ACL tear). It seems that $15 million per year (or more) is unlikely.

Top free-agent running back Miles Sanders is trying to buck a recent trend of positional devaluation. The Chargers, who didn’t pay Melvin Gordon when he held out for a new deal in 2019, are at another impasse with Austin Ekeler. The NFL’s leader in touchdowns each of the past two seasons (38 combined) requested a trade after negotiations stalled with his salary stuck at a bargain $6.25 million in 2023.

Once one domino falls, others likely will follow fast, as happened Monday with the safety market.

3. Big deals for big guys

Where was all the money spent then? On the lines. Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey (five years, $87.5 million), Hargrave (four years, $84 million), and Chiefs left tackle Jawaan Taylor (four years, $80 million) scored the three highest maximum-value deals. Broncos guard Ben Powers (four years, $52 million) and Davis also secured eight-figure average annual values.

Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata stayed in the division, leaving the Saints for $35 million over three years.