Larry Ogunjobi won’t sign with Bears due to failed physical

Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi is back out on the free agent market.

On Monday, Ogunjobi reportedly agreed to sign a three-year, $40.5 million deal with the Chicago Bears. Five days later, per The Athletic’s Adam Jahns, Ogunjobi failed his physical and the Bears pulled the offer.

While the details of Ogunjobi’s physical are unknown, this is likely because of the foot injury he suffered during the Bengals’ postseason victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on January 15th. Ogunjobi would miss the remainder of the playoffs and had surgery later in the month.

Ogunjobi, a sixth-year player out of Charlotte, played one season for the Bengals on a one-year, $6.2 million contract. He started 17 games, including that Wild Card win, and finished with seven sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 29 solo tackles.

After a productive year in Cincinnati, the 27-year-old Ogunjobi reportedly had a strong market and was expected to find a deal north of $10 million per year. The contract the Bears offered was likely more than the Bengals were willing to pay, but it no longer exists as Ogunjobi isn’t quite healthy enough yet.

The Bears acted quickly upon this news and signed free agent defensive tackle Justin Jones to a two-year deal.

This is heartbreaking for Ogunjobi, who earned a multi-year deal after being so productive in a contract year. He now re-enters the market with a lot less certainty. He could come back to the Bengals, but it won’t be for nearly as much money as he would’ve made with the Bears.