The Chicago Bears will have the resources to pursue at least one big-ticket free agent during the 2025 NFL offseason, but could they pull off the unexpected and secure a replacement for 2024 standout free safety Kevin Byard III?
Byard had a strong first season with the Bears in 2024, finishing with a team-high 130 tackles and tallying one interception, seven pass breakups, two sacks, five tackles for loss, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries as a 17-game start at free safety. He also achieved his success on a two-year, $15 million contract that proved a bargain.
With an eye on the future, though, the Bears might want to consider how long Byard — who turns 32 next August — can remain a fixture for their defense, especially with one of the most versatile young safeties in the league in Jevon Holland coming available.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox even made the case that the Bears should be one of the top suitors for Holland in 2025 NFL free agency, urging them to dump Byard, save money against the salary cap and put the savings toward a younger safety in Holland.
“Holland would be a sensible target for the Bears, who relied on 31-year-old Kevin Byard III this season,” Knox wrote on January 8. “Byard is under contract through 2025, but Chicago could save $7 million in cap space by releasing him before free agency begins.”
Bears Might Risk Too Much Pursuing Jevon Holland
Holland has been an on-the-rise NFL safety over the past few seasons with the Miami Dolphins, traditionally playing with good ball instincts and flexing the versatility to play multiple positions in the secondary — from the deep field to out wide on the perimeter. A career-worst season in 2024 could change his free-agent trajectory a bit, though.
Holland finished without an interception for the first time in his career in 2024 for the Dolphins, also hitting career-low marks in both tackles (62) and pass deflections (four). He also struggled with his responsibilities on the back end, finding himself out of place at times in coverage and missing 12 tackles on the season — often at crippling moments.
Even if the Bears somehow talked themselves into thinking Holland will bounce back in 2025, they would have a tough time reconciling his dropoff with his projected price tag.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the league views Holland as a top-five safety and will likely covet him during the 2025 free-agency period if the cap-negative Dolphins cannot re-sign him. He also wrote that his “early sense” is Holland will sign a new deal worth somewhere between Xavier McKinney’s four-year, $67 million contract with Green Bay and Antoine Winfield Jr’s four-year, $84.1 million contract with Tampa Bay.
Perhaps if Holland had continued his Pro Bowl-caliber ascent in 2024, then the Bears would have considered making a bold play for him to become a foundational piece for their defense, but a price tag that could reach as high as $84 million is a non-starter.
Are Bears Content to Let Kevin Byard Play Out Deal?
The other critical flaw with the proposition of the Bears replacing Byard with Holland is that Byard outplayed Holland by a country mile in 2024 despite their notable age gap.
According to Pro Football Focus, Byard allowed a lower passer rating (91.5 to 111.3) on more coverage snaps (578 to 516), made nearly twice as many defensive stops (27 to 14) and produced more turnovers despite tallying just one pick for a second straight year. He also finished with the third-most tackles among all NFL safeties; though, the Bears’ free safety leading them in tackles suggests problems with their 2024 defensive scheme.
At any rate, the Bears should have little urgency to move on from Byard with Holland far from a slam-dunk replacement option. The strategy behind keeping Byard in 2025 also favors the Bears investing one of their 2025 draft picks into a new free safety, one whom they could groom to replace Byard in 2026 when he becomes a free agent.
The Bears would miss out on $6.97 million in cap savings if they did not release Byard this offseason, but an $8.47 million cap hit for a starting free safety is hardly a burden. Better to let Byard play out the final year of his contract than rush him out the door.
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Bears Urged to Replace Kevin Byard III With Projected $84 Million Star