The Chicago Bears are losing a veteran wide receiver in the first wave of legal-tampering negotiations ahead of March 11’s official start of NFL free agency.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Atlanta Falcons agreed to terms on a deal with Bears free-agent veteran wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus on Monday, March 9, bringing back the 28-year-old to where he began his career as a UDFA in 2019.
“Reunion: Veteran WR Olamide Zaccheaus is signing with the Falcons, per sources,” Pelissero wrote Monday on X. “Seven years after making Atlanta’s roster as an undrafted free agent, OZ is back in the ATL on a deal negotiated by @bparker [agent Brandon Parker] of [VaynerSports].”
Seven years after making Atlanta’s roster as an undrafted free agent, OZ is back in the ATL on a deal negotiated by @bparker of @vaynersports.
Zaccheaus caught 39 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears in 2025 after signing a veteran-minimum deal with Chicago in last year’s free agency period. While he spent the early parts of the season as a regular part of the offense, his role diminished as rookies Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland worked into the mix.
The NFL’s legal tampering period began at noon ET on March 9, but none of the deals are official until free agency formally begins at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 11.
Bears Need More WR Talent for 2026 After Departures
The Bears have seen a few significant receiver departures over the past week, starting when they agreed to terms on a trade that will send DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills.
According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, the Bears agreed to trade Moore and a fifth-round pick to the Bills in exchange for a second-round pick (No. 60 overall), moving on from their most experienced wide receiver after he played three seasons for Chicago.
Trading Moore made sense for the Bears from financial and roster-building vantages. He would have carried their largest cap hit ($28.5 million) without a restructure, and while the Bears could have reworked his deal to reduce the cap charge, it would have kicked the money into future seasons and made him harder to move on from in 2027.
Meanwhile, Zaccheaus seemed like a potential re-signing candidate for the Bears as a quality No. 3 receiver who could play behind Burden and Rome Odunze without Moore in the picture. With Zaccheaus heading to Atlanta to reunite with former Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham, though, the Bears will need more receiving talent for next season.
Could Bears Make Splash at WR During Free Agency?
The Bears dealt away Moore because the value of his contract no longer equated to his production on the field. Chicago also has three high-quality pass-catchers ready to step up and fill the void between Odunze and Burden at receiver and Loveland at tight end.
That said, with all three guys on rookie deals, the Bears could still make a splash at the position in free agency, even with a spread-the-ball approach under Ben Johnson.
The Bears must carefully navigate how they want to spend their money with several big positional needs weighing on them, but the right deal for an experienced wide receiver could make sense for quarterback Caleb Williams and Chicago’s dynamic offense. While younger guys like Wan’Dale Robinson and Rashid Shaheed are likely out of their price range, they might have more success targeting veterans on shorter-term deals.
One sleeper option could be Tampa Bay Buccaneers veteran star Mike Evans, who is expected to test the waters in free agency for the first time in his career. He, too, may want more money than the Bears are willing to spend, but he would provide another reliable target for Williams and allow Chicago to hedge its bets on its younger guys.
Bears Losing Veteran Wide Receiver to Falcons in Free Agency