CHICAGO — If anyone can empathize with Larry Ogunjobi after the Chicago Bears announced Friday that they rescinded a contract offer that would have made him the ninth-highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL, it is retired offensive lineman Roberto Garza.
Of course, the economics of the league have changed dramatically since Garza was in Baltimore at the start of the free-agency period in 2005 when he failed a physical with the Ravens, pulling a three-year $7 million offer that was to pay him $4 million in the first season.
General manager Ozzie Newsome informed Garza that when the Ravens put him through a physical, they determined he had no anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Garza and his wife, Ashley, already had lined up a real estate agent to take them shopping for a home in Maryland. He was devastated and wondered if his career was over.
“It’s a miserable feeling because you’ve worked hard to get yourself in a position to merit that contract and that type of money,” Garza said Friday afternoon. “It stings. It hurts. It’s a kick in the (groin) because you were ready to cash in. Looking back, everything happens for a reason, and it worked out for me to go to Chicago.”
It’s fair to assume Ogunjobi is somewhere between shocked and angry after the Bears pulled a three-year, $40.5 million offer that included $26.35 million guaranteed — life-changing money.
“Larry Ogunjobi embodies everything we are looking for in a Bear,” general manager Ryan Poles said in a statement. “He is a special person and player. During the league’s negotiating window earlier this week, we agreed to terms with him, subject to him passing a physical here. After a standard and thorough physical and medical review with Larry yesterday afternoon, our medical team deemed him to have failed his physical and therefore, unfortunately, we are not signing him today. This is difficult and it is emotional for everyone involved, but ultimately is what is in the best interest of protecting the Chicago Bears.”
Poles was not made available for questions. He also has not addressed the trade of pass rusher Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers. On Wednesday, Chargers coach Brandon Staley said: “The cost was very minimal for a player of his caliber.” The Chargers gave the Bears a second-round pick this year and a sixth-round pick in 2023 for Mack.
Ogunjobi suffered a right foot injury in the Cincinnati Bengals’ wild-card-round victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, requiring surgery and sidelining him for the team’s Super Bowl run. His foot got stuck in the artificial surface at Paul Brown Stadium, and he suffered a Lisfranc injury, according to the Charlotte Observer. The Bears did not reveal the specific reason why they rejected him.
“Heart heavy, but my mind clear,” Ogunjobi wrote on his Twitter account after suffering the injury in January. “The world favors those who bet on themselves. It also favors those who get knocked down 7 times but get up 8. Am I pissed? YES. Am I frustrated? ABSOLUTELY. But will I quit? NEVER.”
He told the Observer that free agency wasn’t on his mind in the week leading up to the Super Bowl. He signed a one-year deal with the Bengals last year after beginning his career with the Cleveland Browns.
“I’m not even thinking about that right now,” Ogunjobi told the Observer. “I’ve loved my year with the Bengals, and we need to win this Super Bowl first. But I will say this: No matter where I’m playing next season, I’m going to attack my rehab. And I’ll be back and better than ever.”
He won’t be making a return to the field with the Bears, who quickly pivoted to sign Justin Jones, a three-technique tackle from the Chargers. He got a two-year contract. Jones isn’t the same disruptive force as Ogunjobi, especially as a pass rusher.
What’s next for Ogunjobi, 27, remains to be seen. The timing, on the third day of the league year, is bad. It’s also not ideal for Poles and the Bears. Medical reviews can lead to differing opinions, and it’s possible another team passes Ogunjobi or is willing to take on some risk, but the salary-cap position and cash budgets for many teams have shifted in less than 72 hours.
Garza had drawn serious interest in free agency from the Green Bay Packers, too, but when they learned why the Ravens turned him away, they also stopped pursuing him. Garza originally tore his ACL during the 14th game of the 2003 season. Surgery to replace the ligament went well, and his rehabilitation went so quickly he was back on the field in time to win a job that led to him starting 17 games, postseason included, in 2004. He didn’t miss one practice during that season.
The Bears, at the urging of Chris Ballard, then a college scout for the team, made the decision to gamble that Garza was one of the rare athletes who could perform without an ACL. They signed him to a one-year contract for $1 million. It worked out and he earned a six-year contract the next year. Garza went on to start 145 games for the organization, the fourth-most by an offensive lineman in team history — all without an ACL in his right knee.
“It’s going to hurt and it’s going to suck for a while, but it’s hard to see that when you’re in it,” Garza said when asked what advice he would give Ogunjobi. “I thought my career was finished. What this will hold for Larry in the future, we don’t know yet. I doubt it is over. Someone is going to give him an opportunity.
“I never talked to (Newsome) again. Every time we played the Ravens, that was in the back of my mind. Every time I saw them. But I didn’t have an ACL in my knee. Right now, it stings and it sucks. If I’m still talking about the grudge, that was 17 years ago. They’re trying to do what is best for them, and as a player in the moment, you don’t think about that.”
