Bears at Risk of Losing Top Free Agent Target to Division Rival
The Chicago Bears will march into NFL free agency next week with plans to significantly overhaul the interior of their offensive line for the 2025 season. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bears even already have a few of the market’s top free-agent guards “on the radar” ahead of March 10’s start to legal tampering, including Indianapolis Colts veteran right guard Will Fries. To land Fries, though, the Bears may need to outduel the Minnesota Vikings.
According to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, Fries is projected to be a top target for the Vikings when free agency opens, but he also added that he believes the Vikings will face competition for him on the market, including from the Bears.
“[Fries] fits the Vikings’ preferred free-agent benchmarks in that he’s young, versatile and productive,” Lewis wrote. “How his right tibia fracture affects his market remains to be seen, but the Vikings will likely be bidding against multiple teams, including the NFC North-rival Chicago Bears.” The Vikings lurking for Fries could pose a problem for the Bears. The guard market took a major hit when the Kansas City Chiefs placed the franchise tag on right guard Trey Smith and blocked him from testing free agency. While other viable starters are coming available, such as Fries and San Francisco’s Aaron Banks, it leaves teams fighting over a small guard pool.
