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New York’s ORCHARD PARK (AP) – At last, Ryan Bates, an offensive lineman, was acquired by the Chicago Bears.
The 27-year-old Bates will be acquired by the Bears from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a fifth-round pick. On Monday evening, the teams made the announcement.
The transfer is awaiting a medical, and it won’t be official until March 13, which is the beginning of the NFL’s new fiscal year.
In 2022, Chicago signed Bates to an offer sheet in an attempt to sign him as a restricted free agent. However, the Bills managed to keep Bates by matching the Bears’ four-year, $17 million deal offer.
Bates is going into his sixth season in the NFL. His ability to play a variety of positions along the line is well known.
He was only able to play 35 plays as a backup last season due to Buffalo’s offensive line’s sustained health. In contrast, Bates started 15 games in 2022—13 at right guard and two more at center.
Three offensive lineman for the Bears, including starter Lucas Patrick and Cody Whitehair, whose playing time decreased during the second half of the last campaign, are due for free agency next week.
With the deal, the salary cap-constrained Bills are able to release around $1.4 million in compensation. Buffalo’s projection for the offseason was to be $44 million over the cap in 2024, which would be an NFL record.
In a trade with Philadelphia that summer, Buffalo acquired Bates as an undrafted free agent from Penn State in 2019. In his 73 career games, he has 19 starts.
