8:59pm: The base value of Trevathan’s deal is $24.5MM, with $12MM guaranteed, per Schefter (via Twitter). Based on Rapoport’s report from earlier in the evening, it sounds as if the deal could be worth a little more via incentives and/or escalators.
6:56pm: Trevathan’s four-year deal is worth roughly $28MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
3:52pm: The Bears officially announced that they’ve signed Trevathan to a four-year contract.
3:16pm: The Bears have added one of the top inside linebackers on the market, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the team has signed Danny Trevathan.
The former sixth-round pick had spent his entire four-year career with the Broncos. He started 15 games this past season, compiling 109 tackles and a pair of interceptions. The 25-year-old also had a standout performance in this past year’s Super Bowl, grabbing a pair of fumble recoveries in Denver’s victory over the Panthers. Trevathan proved to be mostly recovered from a knee injury that limited him to only three games in 2014.
Pro Football Focus was rather fond of Trevathan’s performance this past season, ranking him 10th among the league’s linebackers. We had him listed as the best available inside linebackers, and he placed 16th on our list of overall free agents.
There were whispers yesterday that the Bears were looking to add the linebacker. Trevathan has experience playing for head coach John Fox, making Chicago a natural fit.