Bears Pro Bowl Center Drew Dalman Retires At 27, Much The Way His Father Did 26 Years Ago

As nan Chicago Bears were rocketing toward an NFC North title and playoff run, backmost Caleb Williams made a comment connected societal media astir his Pro Bowl halfway Drew Dalman that has proven prophetic.

“He’s nan brains down each of it.”

Dalman informed nan Bears connected Tuesday that he will retire. Now. At property 27. After only 5 NFL seasons. After playing each threat successful 2025, nan first twelvemonth of a three-year, $42 cardinal contract.

Initial guidance astir nan convention was that nan determination was bonkers. Upon further review, however, it mightiness beryllium nan astir rational, reasoned move made this offseason.

Not agelong ago, astir NFL players — linemen, surely — couldn’t up and discontinue astatine nan highest of their earning imaginable because their net weren’t capable to guarantee a life of financial stability.

Instead, they did what shot players do — fastener their chin strap and play arsenic agelong arsenic their sanction remained connected a roster. The consequence of superior wounded — including concussions — was simply nan value of staying successful nan business.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy? Early-onset dementia? Afterthoughts.

Today, it doesn’t return a mechanical engineering awesome to admit that nan equation has changed. Dalman, who happened to study mechanical engineering astatine Stanford, has yet to articulate why he is retiring.

But it is safe to presume that considerations included nan roughly $24 million he banked successful 4 years pinch nan Atlanta Falcons and 1 pinch nan Bears arsenic good arsenic nan well-chronicled database of erstwhile players whose brains aliases different assemblage parts nary longer usability decently because of nan convulsive quality of nan sport.

One of those players was Chris Dalman, an violative lineman for nan San Francisco 49ers from 1993-1999. He retired astatine 29 aft suffering a cervix wounded during training campy successful 2000 that near him temporarily paralyzed.

Chris is Drew’s father. He besides graduated from Stanford and now is president of nan private school successful Salinas, Calif., that he and his boy attended. This is what Chris told reporters erstwhile he retired successful 2000:

“When I first sewage wounded and I couldn’t move, laying connected nan section for astir 30 seconds, I knew it was astir apt over,” he said. “Still, it’s unusual to deliberation that this portion of your life is over.”

Abruptly ending a profession prematurely can’t beryllium easy. It apt was arsenic difficult for Drew Dalman arsenic it was for his father. Yet nan upland of accusation regarding nan nexus betwixt repeated helmet-to-helmet hitting and CTE is irrefutable.

A 2023 Boston University study recovered that 345 of 376 (91.7%) post-mortem brains of erstwhile NFL players contained CTE, a progressive neurodegenerative illness caused by repeated caput trauma. This information is linked to dementia, cognitive diminution and accrued termination consequence among erstwhile players.

It remains to beryllium seen whether much players will discontinue while astatine nan apical of their game. Already, respective person done so, astir prominently linebacker Luke Kuechly astatine 28 and backmost Andrew Luck astatine 29.

Losing Dalman shocked nan Bears, but they should beryllium OK. The $10 cardinal successful net headdress abstraction freed by his status tin beryllium spent connected 1 of nan respective disposable free-agent centers.

That intends Williams — nan erstwhile USC Heisman Trophy victor and blossoming NFL backmost — must set to a caller halfway a twelvemonth aft he was thrilled that nan Bears signed Dalman.

Williams’ words successful December astir Dalman’s exceptional brain, however, were followed by thing little prophetic. While showering nan Bears halfway pinch praise, Williams said, “And he’s nan correct feline for nan occupation for my early and our early here.”

Dalman apparently prioritized his ain early wellness instead.