The Chicago Bears have decided that two years is long enough for them to employ Jerrell Freeman as they officially released the inside linebacker on Tuesday. Freeman is now free to officially sign with any team rather than having to wait for mid-March for free agency to start.
Unfortunately for the player and team, Freeman isn’t exactly a straightforward release, at least in the way you might expect. Freeman has hardly played the last two seasons, including a single game last year after suffering both a pectoral injury and a concussion. He was also suspended for a second time for PED use (a 10-game suspension) in 2017 as well, so it’s assumed that any team that signs him will have to wait until he returns from that suspension—all at the age of 32.