Garrett Bradbury flew into Chicago and traveled north to Halas Hall Sunday to help the Bears finalize a trade in which they acquired the veteran center from the Patriots.

Even in a short period of time at his new team's practice facility, Bradbury's understanding of the type of team he's joining, along with his excitement to spend his eighth NFL season back in the NFC North with the Bears, grew.

"I'm not coming in to try and re-establish anything," Bradbury told reporters virtually Thursday. "I'm just trying to learn from these guys, how do you guys work? They won the division last year. They had success, won a playoff game. I'm not coming in to try and change anything. I'm coming in to help. That starts with building these relationships and figuring out how I can help. And then it goes from there."

That relationship-building began Sunday when Bradbury met with coach Ben Johnson, a fellow North Carolina native. Having been drafted by Minnesota in the first round of the 2019 draft before playing six seasons with the Vikings, Bradbury is particularly familiar with Johnson's offensive schemes, a major cause of his eagerness to play for the reigning NFC North Champions.

"I'm fired up," Bradbury said. "I'm not just saying that. Playing against Ben when I was in Minnesota and he was in Detroit for all those years – you watch certain offenses as an offensive line, and there's just offenses that excite you. His is certainly one of them. You know what you're going to get. You want to run the football, and you want play-action.

"It's a physical brand of football, which I think every lineman wants to sign up for. Just the brief time I got to talk with him, he relayed that message. It's going to be exciting; it's going to be a lot of hard work and that's what I'm ready to sign up for."

Bradbury also spent some time with quarterback Caleb Williams while at Halas Hall, kick-starting a relationship that will be crucial to the Bears offense in 2026.

"I've heard great things about him and that [meeting] reaffirmed everything that I've heard," Bradbury said. "He's an awesome, awesome guy. He is obviously an awesome player, so I am looking forward to getting to work with him and helping him in any way I can and learn from him as well."

Bradbury possesses an opportunity to come in and join a strong offensive line following the retirement of center Drew Dalman. While the left tackle position will also need to be filled heading into next season, the Bears return right guard Jonah Jackson, All-Pro right tackle Darnell Wright as well as 2025 NFL Protector of the Year, left guard Joe Thuney, who is an old friend of Bradbury's.

Bradbury and Thuney were teammates for two seasons at North Carolina State, from 2014 to 2015, and often roomed together during away game road trips. To team back up with Thuney — a four-time Super Bowl champion, five-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler who Bradbury described as a "stud" — is a full-circle moment for him.

"I think everyone in college knew when he left college what kind of player he was, and no one was surprised by the success he's had," Bradbury said. "It blows my mind that two teams have let that guy walk out of the building. He's just a special guy. He's a pro; he handles everything the right way. He's a good leader. He works his butt off, and he is consistent as they come.

"I had some fun times with him in college and we've kept up over the years, just obviously being in the NFL together and playing against him a few times. Definitely excited to get back together with him."

Bradbury gained some championship experience himself last season after starting at center for the Patriots in all 21 of New England's games last year, including Super Bowl LX against the Seahawks.

While the Patriots ultimately fell 29-13 in Santa Clara, the experience of not only playing on the NFL's biggest stage, but also understanding the work it took to get there, was invaluable for Bradbury.

"You can't put into words, you can't put a price tag on it," Bradbury said. "It was the coolest moment of my career for sure. Leading up to it, winning all those playoff games, it felt like a dream. I was getting choked up pregame with the national anthem. It was pretty emotional. The game didn't go how we wanted to, that's for sure. But a special year nonetheless. Then you finish the game and finish the season, and then you're like, 'Oh my gosh, it's mid-February.' I've certainly never played that deep, but it was an awesome experience."

Along with his playoff experience, Bradbury brings 105 career regular- seasons starts to Chicago, including 92 starts with the Vikings over his six seasons in Minnesota. While he has familiarity with players like Thuney and tight end Cole Kmet, with whom he has spent time with on the golf course, Bradbury is walking into a locker room with plenty of unfamiliar faces, but finds that aspect of the league exciting. He is eager for the offseason program to begin, form bonds with his new teammates and, most of all, return to the NFC North.

"I'm definitely excited to get back to the (NFC) North," Bradbury said. "It's a storied division with a bunch of awesome rivalries. It's the 'black and blue division.' I played in it for six years. I don't know about advantage, teams change, rosters change, but just from a familiarity standpoint, it's going to be exciting to get back into Soldier Field and Lambeau Field and play in some of those games."