The Bears have reached a three-year deal with defensive lineman Willie Young, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). According to Pelissero, the contract is worth $9MM, including a $2MM signing bonus and $3.95MM in total guaranteed money. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun provides the deal’s annual base salaries in a tweet.
Young, 28, was a full-time starter for the Lions for the first time last season, and played very well for the team. While he was only credited with three sacks, he pressured the quarterback a total of 60 times and ranked 16th among 52 qualified 4-3 defensive ends, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
The Bears were forced to make Julius Peppers a cap casualty earlier this week and missed out on signing Michael Bennett, but have retooled their defensive line nicely, adding Young and Lamarr Houston.