Why The Chicago Bears Might Be More Aggressive This Offseason Than You Think
The Chicago Bears went much further than anybody expected this year. After going 5-12 in 2024, they rocketed up the NFC rankings to 11-6, then won a playoff game by knocking out the Green Bay Packers in the wild card round. They couldn’t quite finish against the powerhouse Los Angeles Rams, but the overtime loss was confirmation that this team is capable of hanging with the big dogs in the conference. All they might need is one more good push in the offseason to get them over the hump.
However, some are concerned that the team doesn’t have the resources for any aggressive moves. They’re projected to be $4 million over the cap when the offseason begins. There aren’t many things they can do to fix that, right? Wrong. Here are some simple moves Spotrac says they can do without significant consequences.
WR D.J. Moore’s 2026 salary is already fully guaranteed. Processing a simple salary conversion (no void years) can free up $17.4M. That can increase to $18.5M saved by adding a void year.
OL Joe Thuney’s 2026 salary is already fully guaranteed. Converting most of it to bonus can free up $7.3M. Those savings can increase to $11.7M with the use of void years.
Most of DL Grady Jarrett’s 2026 salary is guaranteed. Converting it to bonus frees up $6.9M of cap. That figure increases to $10.8M with the use of void years.
Those three moves alone, without void years, would put the Bears at over $27 million in cap space. If they were to also cut Tremaine Edmunds, which feels like a possibility, that would jump to $43 million. This would give them more than enough room to take one or two aggressive shots in free agency.
The Chicago Bears have plenty of targets to choose from.
Obviously, with free agency, there is a strong chance many of the big names won’t be available when the market opens. Still, there could be some immediate impact players who help this team improve. The first that comes to mind is Trey Hendrickson. The four-time Pro Bowler is unlikely to return to Cincinnati and has ties to Dennis Allen. Though 31 years old, he’s been highly productive and would give them the pass rush jolt they sorely need opposite Montez Sweat. They could also go for John Franklin-Myers, who would provide much-needed interior pass rush after two excellent years in Denver. You could also look at Coby Bryant as a replacement for Kevin Byard at free safety.
There is no shortage of offensive options, too. Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker will both be available if the Chicago Bears are thinking about life beyond D’Andre Swift. The bigger question mark is left tackle. Ozzy Newsome will spend all offseason recovering from patella surgery. Theo Benedet and Braxton Jones are free agents. Ben Johnson may want to bring in some insurance at that spot. Rasheed Walker, Cam Robinson, and Jermaine Eluemunor are names worth keeping an eye on there.
Everything depends on how aggressive the Bears want to be. After how close they came this season, don’t be surprised if they take at least one calculated swing.