Eddie Goldman's second year of his four-year contract extension will have to wait.
The Bears defensive tackle has informed the team he plans to opt out of the 2020 season due to health concerns related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday.
Goldman's decision to opt out of the 2020 season leaves a void in Chicago's interior defensive line, where the Florida State product has excelled since his arrival in 2015. Goldman has appeared in at least 15 games in all but one of his five seasons, recording 153 tackles and 12.5 sacks over that span of time.
Goldman signed his four-year, $42.04 million extension in September 2018, and would have been the fifth-highest-paid player on Chicago's roster (in terms of cap hit) in 2020.
Instead, the Bears will have to turn to veteran interior lineman John Jenkins, who spent 2017 with the team and has played for five different teams in seven seasons, before possibly looking elsewhere for more depth.
