The Chicago Bears won’t likely have the cap space to bring back all of their top pending free agents during the 2026 NFL offseason, but they have announced their intentions to make at least one of them a priority in the coming weeks.
During January 21’s end-of-season press conference, Bears general manager Ryan Poles made no secret of the team’s desire to re-sign veteran free safety Kevin Byard III — a team captain and the league’s interceptions leader in 2025 — to a new deal for 2026.
“I think Kevin is a special player,” Poles said. “I have no problem saying that’s a player that we would like to have back. But again, when you add the other safeties [entering free agency] into that mix and all the other decisions we have across the roster — cap restraints, things like that — it will be a challenge, but that’s part of what we do.”
Byard recorded 93 tackles and an NFL-leading seven interceptions in 2025 as one of the stalwart leaders of the Bears’ defense, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition for the second time in his career and making a strong case for Chicago to retain him for 2026.
The Bears, however, also have safeties Jaquan Brisker, Jonathan Owens, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Elijah Hicks set to become free agents on March 12 without new contracts, giving them more than just Byard’s future to consider as they navigate the offseason.
‘Mutual Interest’ in Kevin Byard Returning to Chicago
The Bears are still in the early stages of their offseason after last week’s elimination in the divisional round of the 2025 NFL playoffs. Meanwhile, most pending free agents are just beginning to get a lay of the land on what might await them in the months ahead.
Fresh off a resurgent season, though, Byard would certainly like to remain in Chicago.
“Yeah, I mean, I would love to be back here,” Byard said during his final locker room availability of the postseason on January 19. “I definitely think there is mutual interest for me to be back. But at the end of the day, I truly don’t have any real control over it.”
Byard also acknowledged that the team’s success in 2025 could make him and other Bears pending free agents more “coveted” during the offseason, hinting that he could walk and sign elsewhere in free agency if Chicago is unable to match his market price.
I think with the success that we all had this season, as a team, I think a lot of guys on the team are going to be coveted around this league, honestly,” Byard said. “And I think the same way the organization is always going to do what’s best for the team, I think I owe that to my family as well, even though my first option would be to come back here to Chicago and finish what we got started this year.”
Will Strong Market Price Out Bears on Kevin Byard?
The Bears are sensible to want to re-sign Byard after his All-Pro season in 2025, not just because of his production but also because of his leadership qualities as a team captain.
As both sides seem to recognize, though, the Bears might not be able to afford him.
According to Over the Cap, projections have the Bears at roughly $4 million over the cap for the 2026 season before attempting to re-sign any of their free agents. Their cap overage climbs to about $17.9 million when accounting for the Top-51 rule and how much it will cost them to sign each of their seven draft picks at their current position.
Now, the Bears have plenty of avenues for climbing out of that hole, including veteran roster cuts and contract restructures, but it could limit how much they are willing to spend to retain Byard if other teams are offering him a significantly higher payday.
Spotrac’s market-value calculator has projected Byard will earn just shy of $8 million per season on his next contract, but Jacob Infante of Windy City Gridiron contended that Byard could push for as high as $12 million annually on his next deal.
At either price, there are no guarantees that the Bears are willing to spend that type of money on a 33-year-old safety — at least not before knowing who else is available.
Bears Announce Plans to Prioritize Projected $24 Million Free Agent