Chicago Bears
Goldman was drafted 39th overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2015 NFL Draft. [8] In his rookie year, he played fifteen games, recording 39 tackles and six tackles for a loss, [9] while being ranked fourth among rookies with 4.5 sacks. For his season, he was named to Mel Kiper Jr.'s All-Rookie Team [10] and the Pro Football Writers of America's All-Rookie Team. [11]
Goldman played in six games with five starts in 2016. He suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2 and missed the next six games. He returned in Week 10 but was bothered by the ankle injury and was placed on injured reserve on December 23, 2016. [12]
Goldman played in 15 games with 14 starts in the 2017 season. He recorded 1.5 sacks, 44 combined tackles, five quarterback hits, and one fumble recovery. [13]
On September 7, 2018, Goldman signed a four-year contract extension with the Bears worth $42 million with $25 million guaranteed. [14] In week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams, Goldman sacked Jared Goff in the end zone for a safety. [15] The Bears won the game 15–6. [16] He finished the 2018 season with three sacks, 40 combined tackles, three quarterback hits, and one fumble recovery. [17] He received an overall grade of 89.2 from Pro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked as the 12th highest grade among all qualifying interior defenders. [18]
Goldman played in 15 games with 15 starts in the 2019 season. He recorded one sack and 29 combined tackles with two tackles for loss. At the end of the season Goldman was selected as Pro Bowl alternate. [19]
On July 28, 2020, Goldman informed the Bears he would opt out of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He received a $350,000 stipend for the season, and his original base salary of $4.75 million will be his salary for the following season. [20]
Goldman returned to the Bears for the 2021 season. In 14 games, he netted half a sack with 22 total tackles. [21]
On March 14, 2022, Goldman was released by the Bears. [22]
Atlanta Falcons
Goldman signed with the Atlanta Falcons on July 6, 2022. [23] Thirteen days after signing with the team, Goldman announced his retirement from the NFL. [24] [25]
On March 21, 2023, Goldman came out of retirement and the Falcons reinstated him back to their active roster. [26] He was placed on the exempt/left squad list on July 29. [27]
On April 2, 2024, Goldman was released off of the Falcons reserve list. However, the same day, he resigned with the team. [28] In the 2024 season, Goldman played in all 17 games for Atlanta with 10 starts at defensive tackle. He recorded 16 total tackles and one sack. [29]
