Eddie Goldman Calls It a Career
It sometimes seemed the old Eddie Goldman never returned to the Bears as he struggled through last season following an opt-out in 2020.
Now it appears he is done.
Goldman, who was cut by the Bears for salary cap purposes, has decided to retire at the age of 28 according to a report by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The decison comes after he had signed a contract for a salary of $1.12 million and $152,500 in bonus cash with the Atlanta Falcons to play this season.
The Bears had cut Goldman in a cost-cutting move following his struggles in the 2021 season. A Pro Bowl alternate in 2019, Goldman had signed a four-year contract extension worth $42 million then, but after opting out in 2020 his play declined when he returned.
The Bears saved $6.86 million in cap space while taking a $5.2 million dead cap hit when they cut Goldman, according to Overthecap.com.
Pro Football Focus last year gave Goldman an overall grade of 39.8, making him the 106th-ranked interior defensive lineman out of 109 they graded. Goldman struggled against the run, and as he did the Bears defensive rank against the run plummeted. They were 23rd against the run last year, their lowest ranking since 2016.
Former Bears GM Ryan Pace selected Goldman with his second pick in the 2015 draft, after making wide receiver Kevin White his first-round pick. Pace is now in Atlanta's front office.
After Goldman's Bears opt-out, he didn't come to voluntary or mandatory offseason work before the 2021 season but did come to training camp.
He finished wth 13 career sacks, 175 tackles, including 18 for loss, and 21 quarterback hits.
One of Goldman's biggest plays helped key the 2018 run to an NFC North title by the Bears. To start the second half he sacked Jared Goff in the end zone for a safety and the two points triggered a strong second half for the Bears defensive in a 15-6 victory at Soldier Field.
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