JULY 30, 3:47pm: It’s a one-year agreement, minimum-salary deal for Silatolu, per Biggs (Twitter link). He stands to make $840K this season and received a $80K signing bonus and a $20K base salary guarantee, working out to $100K guaranteed for the former Panthers starter. Silatolu will count $680K toward the Bears’ cap, per Biggs (via Twitter).
JULY 20, 2:57pm: The Bears have agreed to sign guard Amini Silatolu, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). The veteran met with Chicago on Wednesday morning and it didn’t take long for the two sides to reach an accord.
As Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets, offensive lineman Ted Larsen was sidelined with an undisclosed injury at the end of the offseason program/minicamp. The signing of Silatolu could be a sign that Larsen is still recovering.
A second-round pick in 2012, Silatolu started 15 games during his rookie season and looked to be a mainstay along Carolina’s offensive line for years to come. But he’s been hampered by injuries ever since — torn ACLs ended both his 2013 and 2015 seasons, and he was similarly held back by calf and knee injuries in 2014. Silatolu was largely been relegated to backup duty with the Panthers, having been usurped at guard by Trai Turner and Andrew Norwell.
This offseason, the Panthers didn’t show much interest in retaining Silatolu. Now, the 27-year-old (28 in September) will try and hook on in Chicago.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.