With the Chicago Bears headed for the NFC North title and a playoff run, quarterback Caleb Williams made a comment on social media about his Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman that proved prophetic.
“He’s the brain behind it all.”
Dalman informed the Bears on Tuesday that he will retire. Now. In 27 years. After only five NFL seasons. After playing every snap through 2025, the first year of a three-year, $42 million contract.
The league’s initial reaction was that the decision was a no-brainer. Upon further review, however, it may be the most logical, thoughtful move made this offseason.
Not so long ago, most NFL players – linemen, for sure – couldn’t stand up and quit at their highest earning potential because the income they received was not enough to ensure financial stability.
Instead, they did what football players do – button their belt on their chin and play as long as their name stays on the list. The risk of serious injury – including collisions – was simply the price of staying in business.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy? Early dementia? Afterthoughts.
Today, it doesn’t take a mechanical engineering major to see that the equation has changed. Dalman, who studied mechanical engineering at Stanford, has not said why he is retiring.
But it’s safe to assume that considerations include the roughly $24 million he banked over four years with the Atlanta Falcons and one with the Bears and a long list of former players whose brains or other body parts malfunctioned due to the violence of the game.
One of those players was Chris Dalman, who played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1993-1999. He retired at the age of 29 after injuring his neck during training in 2000 which left him temporarily disabled.
Chris is Drew’s father. He also graduated from Stanford and is now the president of a private school in Salinas, Calif., where he and his son attend. Here’s what Chris told reporters when he retired in 2000:
“When I got injured for the first time I couldn’t even move, I was lying on the field for about 30 seconds, I knew it was almost over,” he said. “Still, it’s strange to think that this part of your life is over.”
Getting the job done early can’t be easy. It must have been as difficult for Drew Dalman as it was for his father. Yet the mountain of information about the link between helmet-to-helmet blows and CTE is undeniable.
A 2023 Boston University study found that 345 of 376 (91.7%) postmortem brains of former NFL players contained CTE, a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated head trauma. The condition is associated with dementia, cognitive decline and an increased risk of suicide among former players.
It remains to be seen whether more players will retire at the top of their game. Already, many have done so, with 28-year-old linebacker Luke Kuechly and 29-year-old quarterback Andrew Luck.
Losing Dalman shocked the Bears, but he should be fine. The $10 million in salary cap space left by his retirement could be used for one of the few available free agents.
That means Williams — a former USC Heisman Trophy winner and burgeoning NFL quarterback — has to adjust to a new center after a year of being happy the Bears signed Dalman.
Williams’ remarks in December about Dalman’s special brain, however, were followed by something less prophetic. While praising the Bears center, Williams said, “And he’s the right man for the job for my future and our future here.”
Dalman apparently put his own future health first instead.
