The Chicago Bears are not going to move on from cornerback Kyler Gordon before the regular season, but his name will reside at the top of the list of trade candidates ahead of the mid-year deadline and/or next spring if he can’t stay healthy and produce in 2026.
Courtney Cronin of ESPN named Gordon among the five Chicago players with the most to prove heading into training camp, which begins later this month.
“The Bears made Gordon the NFL’s highest-paid nickel corner in April 2025 with a three-year, $40 million contract,” Cronin wrote on Thursday, July 16. “He played in only five games last season as one soft tissue injury early in camp led to others in-season and an extended stint on injured reserve. His availability is under a microscope, particularly after another soft tissue injury cost him the spring offseason program.”
Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson Called Out Kyler Gordon for Availability Issues After Latest Injury
GettyHead coach Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears.
Cronin referenced telling comments that Bears head coach Ben Johnson made about Gordon’s health earlier this offseason, crediting the circumstances for a lack of trust due to the cornerback’s inability to get/stay on the field.
“This spring was going to be a springboard for us to get going in the right direction,” Johnson said. “We know [Gordon is] a good player when he’s out there, but trust level is a huge thing for this team … and you can only develop that trust by being available.”
Gordon will play next season at 27 years old and is under contract for three more campaigns. But the team can save $10.8 million in both 2027 and 2028 by trading Gordon, sustaining salary cap hits of just $2.5 million in both years if it chooses to do so.
Bears Spent Heavily Over Offseason in NFL Draft, Free Agency to Build Out Secondary
GettyChicago Bears rookie safety Dillon Thieneman.
Chicago has focused heavily on the secondary this offseason, drafting safety Dillon Thieneman in Round 1 and cornerback Malik Muhammad in Round 4. The team also signed safety Coby Bryant away from the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in March via a three-year, $40 million deal.
Thieneman and Bryant are likely to start in Week 1, while Muhammad may challenge Tyrique Stevenson for the second starting spot at outside cornerback alongside two-time Pro Bowler Jaylon Johnson.
Stevenson also made Cronin’s list of the five players with the most at stake entering Bears’ training camp later this month, as he is in a contract year and will have to fight to keep his job just three summers after Chicago made him a second-round pick out of Miami.
Gordon, if healthy, is a key cog in what could be one of the better secondaries in the league, assuming relative health across the unit.
But the Bears are also positioned to pivot away from both Stevenson and Gordon next offseason, elevate Muhammad to a starting role and look to revamp the slot CB spot and overall depth in the position group via free agency and the draft in 2027.
Bears Could Move on From $40 Million Starter Entering Pivotal Year