One of the league's most promising reserve edge rushers has found a new home. Pernell McPhee officially signed a five-year deal with the Chicago Bears. The contract is worth nearly $40 million with $16 million in guarantees, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Pernell McPhee signs 5-year deal with Bears
One of the top pass rushers in free agency signed with the Bears.
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
McPhee didn't start for the Baltimore Ravens outside of a brief stint in 2012 while Terrell Suggs recovered from an Achilles tear. Still, McPhee proved to be a productive pass rusher, collecting 17 sacks over his four years with the Ravens. His best season came in 2014 when he registered 7.5 sacks and forced a fumble. McPhee expects to take on a larger role at his next stop, so those numbers could continue to rise.
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The versatile linebacker should provide a boost to a defense that ranked 30th overall in the league a season ago. McPhee play mostly as an outside linebacker in new Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme, but he could also line up as a nose tackle or defensive end.
The loss of McPhee hurts the Ravens, who now only have one edge rusher under the age of 30 (Courtney Upshaw) under contract for next season. That means another year of high snap counts for outside linebackers Suggs and Elvis Dumervil. Baltimore must now address the position during the 2015 NFL Draft.
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