Bears' Kevin Byard wants to re-sign, 'finish what we started' as he hopes for new contract before free agency

SAN FRANCISCO — Bears safety Kevin Byard is about a month away from free agency — and presumably a massive payday — after an All-Pro season in which he led the NFL in interceptions.

But he’d rather not hit the market.

Byard hopes to return, and while general manager Ryan Poles hasn’t made any promises, he mentioned re-signing him as a goal if the Bears can make it work financially.

“I was one of the only players that he actually singled out, and it was awesome to see,” Byard told the Sun-Times at Pro Bowl practice Monday. “I can’t say if it’s promising or not. There’s going to be effort on both sides to try to get something done, but who knows?

“I had a really good year this year, and I know Poles and [coach] Ben Johnson have got a lot of decisions to make on a lot of guys on the team, so we’ll see who’s the top priority. I would hope that I am, but you just never know.”

The Bears face a string of decisions in the secondary alone. Both starting safeties, Byard and Jaquan Brisker, will be free agents, as will cornerback Nahshon Wright and nickel cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

Byard turns 33 before next season and is one of the Bears’ oldest players, but he left no doubt he’s still a star after playing for a relatively modest $15 million in salary over the last two seasons. He started all 36 games, including the playoffs last month, and played nearly every snap. His league-high seven interceptions led to his third Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections — honors he hadn’t received since 2021 with the Titans.

“Age is nothing but a number,” Byard said. “It’s all about how you feel. Looking at me on film, I turned the clock back. If you can ball, you can ball.”

Wright’s choice

While it’s likely the Bears will secure Byard, the situation with Wright is less certain. Few players have flipped their careers as he has, going from an unknown to a starter for the Bears and a late addition to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for the Eagles’ Quinyon Mitchell.

Wright, 27, was nearly out of the league when the Vikings released him last April. He’d made just three starts for the Cowboys over his first three seasons before they traded him to Minnesota, where he spent all of the 2024 season on the practice squad.

Wright called it “the coolest thing” to be in San Francisco among the NFL’s elite and to reconnect with former teammates such as Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

“I’ve always felt I could play with these guys and that I belong,” Wright told the Sun-Times. “It’s kind of reassuring, like I do belong. I can be one of those guys in the league. It’s definitely cool.”

Wright had a career-high five interceptions, tied for second in the league behind Byard, forced two fumbles and recovered three. He returned one of his interceptions for a touchdown.

He’s facing uncertainty again as he hits free agency, but with much more leverage this time. Spotrac projects his market value to be three-year deal worth $50 million. The prospect of teams fighting over him sounds a lot better than fighting for a job.

“I don’t know what to expect . . . but it’s definitely a good situation to be in,” said Wright, who played on a one-year, $1.1  million contract with the Bears.

Dalman has arrived

After four seasons with the Falcons in which he played well but didn’t get much recognition, center Drew Dalman got it all with the Bears this season. Not only did he sign a landmark three-year, $42 million contract a little over a year ago, but he also played on a winning team for the first time and made his first Pro Bowl.

“The winning is by far above all the other stuff,” Dalman said. “It gives you a taste of what was necessary for that level of success and what kind of things can be altered for next year.”

The Pro Bowl nod also means something, in part because Dalman grew up a couple of hours south of San Francisco in Salinas, California, and played locally at Stanford. His father, former offensive lineman Chris Dalman, played for the 49ers for seven seasons and won a Super Bowl with them.

Still on top

Taking his family to the Pro Bowl is nothing new for left guard Joe Thuney, another key piece in the Bears’ overhaul of their offensive line. This was his fourth consecutive selection.

A decade into his career, there’s extra pride in holding his spot among the best.

“I can’t believe how fast the years go. Jeez,” he said. “It’s just very humbling to be mentioned as one of the Pro Bowl players, and I still love what I do.”