The Chicago Bears have taken a backseat this offseason while other playoff contenders in the NFC have made significant moves to upgrade their respective pass rushes — the Los Angeles Rams trading for Myles Garrett and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafting Rueben Bain Jr., just to name a couple. But a lower-profile move could be materializing for the Bears in the coming weeks.
Plenty of talk in the media has already taken place with regards to Chicago potentially adding a veteran edge defender, such as Cameron Jordan or Jadeveon Clowney. Both are free agents in their 30s likely to take a one-year deal worth considerably less than $10 million in 2026, and either decision would make plenty of sense for the Bears.
However, if the team is more interested in a longer-term play at the position, Pittsburgh Steelers pass-rusher Alex Highsmith is an option who might become available this summer.
Outside linebacker Nick Herbig just inked a four-year, $100 million contract extension with the Steelers on June 2. The team also recently paid superstar TJ Watt a total of $123 million on a new three-year deal that runs through 2028.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN during the Friday, June 5 edition of his podcast pondered the tradability of Highsmith and came to the conclusion that not only could it happen, but that it is reasonable for a team in need to acquire the soon-to-be 29-year-old for a Day 2 draft selection in 2027.
Alex Highsmith Tradable After Steelers Extended Nick Herbig, TJ Watt
GettyEdge-rusher Alex Highsmith of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Barnwell first delved into where Highsmith is at in his career currently and why he makes more sense as a trade chip in Pittsburgh than Watt.
“[Highsmith is] a player who is sort of in the prime, maybe sort of coming to the point where he will be exiting his prime in the next year or two,” Barnwell said. “And he does not have much time left in his contract, and the money he has left is not guaranteed, so there is a lot of flexibility with Alex Highsmith that is not necessarily there with TJ Watt.”
Highsmith has two years remaining on his $68 million deal, with base salaries of $14.5 million and $15.5 million, respectively, in the two upcoming campaigns.
The conversation then rolled into whether Highsmith is actually a viable trade candidate and what kind of return he might command this summer.
“Could they trade him now and open up space for Herbig? Yes,” Barnwell continued. “And I would not be shocked if they traded him if they got the right offer — maybe a Day 2 pick, a second- or third-round pick comes to mind.”
Bears Still Need Legitimate No. 2 Pass-Rusher Alongside Montez Sweat
GettyDefensive end Montez Sweat of the Chicago Bears.
Highsmith finished last season with 15 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the 13th-best edge defender out of 115 players who saw enough snaps to qualify for a ranking at the position, finishing 16th in pass-rush grade and 4th in run-defense grade.
Across the entire roster in Chicago in 2025, only defensive end Montez Sweat (10 sacks) was better at reaching opposing QBs than Highsmith.
The Bears have some young talent about whom there is reason to be excited, including Austin Booker who came on late last season at the end of Year 2, and 2025 second-round pick Shemar Turner who played just 74 snaps during his rookie campaign due to injury but should return healthy in 2026 when he will bounce outside to defensive end on a permanent basis.
But even if Booker or Turner makes a leap in 2025, and Sweat continues to play at an above-average clip, Chicago still has legitimate need in the position group.
Bears’ Must Improve Pass Rush During Upcoming Season
GettyDefensive coordinator Dennis Allen of the Chicago Bears.
The Bears are a strong contender for regression after an 11-win campaign due to the fact the defense led the NFL in total turnovers and turnover differential in 2025, which is a statistic rooted meaningfully in luck and incredibly difficult to duplicate across back-to-back years.
Chicago focused on improving the secondary in both the draft and free agency, but the team fielded one of the worst pass-rush groups in the league in 2025. The defense must put more pressure on opposing QBs during the upcoming season to even remain the slightly below-average group it was after creating more turnovers than all of the other 31 teams.
In that context, Highsmith in exchange for a third-round pick in 2027 makes plenty of sense for the Bears, as he has averaged more than 8.5 sacks annually over his past six seasons and also provides a multiple-year runway of likely production given his age/current career trajectory.
Bears Trade Pitch Nets $68 Million Steelers Pass-Rusher for Day 2 Draft Pick