Chicago Bears not sign Larry Ogongobe after physical failure

Lake Forest, Illinois – Free defensive intervention Larry OgongobeThe team, which agreed to a three-year deal earlier this week, has announced that it will not sign with the Chicago Bears after having failed physically.

Ogunjobi was Chicago’s largest acquisition to date in a free agency, after it agreed to a $40.5 million contract Monday with a $26.35 million guarantee, sources told ESPN’s Adam Shifter. The Bears announced that the team agreed terms with Ogongobe shortly after the league’s new year began on Wednesday, but did not officially announce his signing.

Ogunjobi was set to speak with members of the local media at Halas Hall on Friday morning as Chicago presented its top three free agents, including the center Lucas Patrick and the back Nicholas Moreau.

However, general manager Ryan Pauls said the deal collapsed after Ogunjobi failed a “standard and thorough physical and medical review”.

“Like I said before, Larry Ogongobe embodies everything we look for in a bear. He’s a special person and a player,” the Poles said. “…Unfortunately, we didn’t sign it today. This is difficult and emotional for everyone involved, but in the end it is what is in the best interests of protecting the Chicago Bears.”

Although the Bears did not determine why the physical defensive intervention failed, Ogunjobi underwent surgery to repair a right foot injury he sustained in the third quarter of the Cincinnati Bengals’ win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He tweeted on January 20 that his surgery “was a success”.

The loss to Ogunjobi is a huge blow to the Bears defense that is so special Angelo Blackson And the Mario Edwards Jr.. In the defensive end and Jerez Tonga in defensive handling. Shortly after the Bears declare the Ogunjobi a physical failure, they find a substitute with three techniques and they sign an earlier defensive intervention into the Los Angeles Chargers Justin Jones For a two-year deal, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Jones, a rookie with the Charger for three years, had three sacks and 19 tackles in 11 games last season.

Ogunjobi, who returned to the Free Agents pool, was part of the defensive overhaul that helped the Bengals go from the lowest sack aggregate in the NFL in 2020 to 11th in 2021. After spending his first four seasons in Cleveland, where Mostly lined up in the A-gap above middle, Ogunjobi moved to a three-way technique in Cincinnati’s defense last season after signing a one-year contract with the Bengals. It yielded a career best season with 7 sacks, 16 quarterback strokes and 40 presses.

Aside from a foot injury that kept him out of most Super Bowl games for the Bengals in the postseason, the defensive tackle has played most of his career without injuries and has appeared in 76 of 81 games over his five seasons in the NFL.

ESPN’s Ben Bibi contributed to this report.