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Bears’ (almost) miracle, coaching moves & a surprise championship pick | 1st & North
On this episode of "1st & North," Lou Canellis and NFC North insiders break down the anatomy of the miracle catch that nearly extended the Bears’ magical season. We assess which players and coaches are leaving and joining the NFC North, examine why NFL head coaches often have such short shelf lives, and make one surprise pick for championship weekend.
The offseason has begun for the Chicago Bears. This one will be more difficult than the last.
There will be a list of free agents to keep track of. Some will return and others won’t. That’s because the Bears are in a different position than years past of coming off a successful 2025 season.
"You just have more constraints," Bears general manager Ryan Poles said. "More constraints, but at the same time, I don't think the process changes. We're going to identify the guys that fit what we want on this football team."
The identifying process starts with the players the Bears had under contract last season. Here’s a look at the Bears’ impending free agents, and some of the difficult decisions the team will need to make this offseason.
Unrestricted free agents
Kevin Byard, safety – 32 years old
Joe Tryon-Shoykina, defensive end – 26 years old
Ryan Bates, center – 28 years old
Andrew Billings, defensive tackle – 30 years old
Chris Williams, defensive line – 27 years old
Durham Smythe, tight end – 30 years old
Jonathan Owens, safety – 30 years old
Case Keenum, quarterback – 37 years old
Jaquan Brisker, safety – 26 years old
Travis Homer, running back – 27
Olamide Zaccheaus, wide receiver – 28 years old
Nick McCloud, cornerback – 27 years old
Jaylon Jones, safety – 28 years old
Scott Daly, long snapper – 31 years old
Devin Duvernay, wide receiver/return man – 28 years old
Nahshon Wright, cornerback – 27 years old
D'Marco Jackson, linebacker – 27 years old
Braxton Jones, offensive tackle – 26 years old
Dominique Robinson, defensive end – 27 years old
Elijah Hicks, defensive back – 26 years old
Exclusive Rights Free Agents
ERFA’s are players who have played in fewer than three seasons and are on an expired contract. If the Bears offer an ERFA a one-year contract at the league minimum, where value is based on credited seasons, that player cannot negotiate with other teams.
Jordan McFadden, offensive guard – 26 years old
Theo Benedet, offensive tackle – 24 years old
Restricted free agents
RFAs are players with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. These players are free to negotiate and sign with any team, but their original team can offer them one of various qualifying offers. These tenders come with the Right of First Refusal and/or draft-pick compensation.
If the Bears withdraw a tender to a RFA, that player becomes an unrestricted free agent. All NFL teams must submit tenders before the start of the new league year.
Noah Sewell, linebacker – 23 years old
Daniel Hardy, defensive end/linebacker – 27 years old
Chicago Bears free agent decisions
The Bears may have to make some difficult decisions on some of the impending free agents.
Namely, what should the Bears do with their secondary? Four safeties – Byard, Brisker, Hicks and Owens – are all unrestricted free agents. Owens and Hicks were standout players on special teams, adjusting to the new-look kickoff return well as tacklers.
Byard was a first-team all-pro safety. Poles was very open about wanting him back, mentioning Byard by name, and Byard said it was his "first choice" to return to the Bears. The Bears also need to decide if they want to re-sign Brisker, who voiced his desire to stay with the Bears.
But, the Bears have to decide if they want to give second contracts to a 32-year-old Byard and a 26-year-old safety with a history of concussions.
"I think that Kevin is a special player, I have no problem saying that that is a player that we would like to have back," Poles said. "When you add the other safeties into that mix, and all of the other decisions that we have across the roster, cap restraints, things like that, it will be a challenge."
It makes sense to think some of the likely candidates to return to Chicago in 2026 would be tight end Durham Smythe, defensive end Daniel Hardy, kick returner Devin Duvernay and linebacker D’Marco Jackson.
Smythe is familiar with the Bears’ offense under Ben Johnson and allows the Bears to play within 13-personnel. Duvernay was great in the return game. Jackson was a late-August addition who was a high-grading starting linebacker by season’s end. Hardy was one of the Bears’ best special teams players.
Unless someone overpays for one of those players, it makes sense for them to return.
Andrew Billings was a solid nose tackle for the Bears, but the Bears could look to spend a high draft pick on a defensive lineman in a class that has options the Bears could consider.
Offensive lineman Braxton Jones, defensive end Dominique Robinson and safety Elijah Hicks are players at the end of their rookie contracts. It depends on the Bears’ level of interest in having them back.
Robinson is a solid special teams player and performed well in the playoffs against the Rams. Hicks drew high praise from special teams coordinator Richard Hightower this season. Jones started the year as the starting left tackle, but the Bears will likely move on from him considering his injury history and how Theo Benedet overtook him on the depth chart.
Cap decision to make
The Bears have more than just free agents to make decisions on. There are some looming contracts they’ll have to take a hard look at.
Some are contracts like running back Roschon Johnson, who fell out of the running back rotation with rookie Kyle Monangai's emergence. The Bears free up $1.1 million in cap space by releasing him.
One of those contracts is linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. If the Bears release him before March, that would free up $15 million in cap space. This depends on how the Bears feel about their linebacker room, with TJ Edwards recovering from surgery on his fractured fibula, Noah Sewell recovering from an Achilles injury and D’Marco Jackson hitting free agency.
Two other players the Bears could make decisions on are running back D’Andre Swift and tight end Cole Kmet. If the Bears cut Kmet by March 1, that would free up $8.4M of cap space. Cutting Swift would free about $7.4 million in cap space.
However, it’s unlikely those two get a chance to test the open market. Kmet isn’t the primary receiving threat as a tight end with Colston Loveland emerging in Chicago, yet Kmet proved his value as a blocker and as a receiver in Johnson’s offense. He likely stays.
Swift had a career year, rushing for a career-high 1,087 yards while sharing carries with Monangai. Moving on from Swift, who still has a year left on his contract, would mean the Bears would be in the market for a running back to fit their offensive scheme. He likely stays.
Open cap space doesn't always mean moving on from players, too. The Bears can also make some cap conversations with the contracts they've given to Joe Thuney, DJ Moore and Grady Jarrett to open up some cap space.