Super Bowl 2025: Upcoming Chiefs, Eagles free agents Chicago Bears should watch
Lou talks Chiefs and Super Bowl history with Bears legend Tom Thayer
Tom Thayer anchored the Bears' offensive line when they won Super Bowl XX. He caught with Lou Canellis before Super Bowl LIX, which could make Super Bowl history.
The Chiefs and Eagles are going to play for the Lombardi Trophy, and the Chicago Bears are still piecing together their run for a chance to contend for their own.
Between Kansas City and Philadelphia, some players will take the field Sunday who might be wearing Bears uniforms come the 2025 season.
Here are some impending free agents in Super Bowl LIX who the Bears could look at this offseason.
Kansas City Chiefs
Trey Smith
Let's get the elephant out of the room right away.
Smith will be one of the most sought-after linemen in free agency. The Bears, by virtue of giving up 68 sacks in the 2024 season, need offensive linemen who can protect Caleb Williams. According to Pro Football Focus, Smith was one of the highest-grading offensive guards across the past four seasons.
Smith will fetch a high price. The Bears have the money to get it done.
Charles Omenihu
Omenihu isn't the primary pass rusher for the Chiefs. That title belongs to Chris Jones. Still, Omenihu is a veteran presence on the Kansas City pass rush.
Omenihu spent most of the 2024 season recovering from an ACL tear he suffered during the Chiefs' AFC Championship Game win over the Ravens last year. Omenihu returned in December just in time for the playoffs, where he had a sack and forced fumble against the Texans. In the 2023 season, he had seven sacks in 11 games and one start.
Depending on what the Bears do with DeMarcus Walker and Darrell Taylor, the Bears could use some depth at pass rusher even if it's just in a rotational sense.
Peyton Hendershot
The Bears re-signed Marcedes Lewis and brought Gerald Everett in through free agency last year, but both of those players were more fit for Shane Waldron's offense. They could both be elsewhere next season. That means the Bears need tight end depth behind Cole Kmet.
Hendershot is a player who handles plenty of the dirty work in the blocking game and special teams. The Bears might need a player like that.
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Philadelphia Eagles
Mekhi Becton
A revelation on the Eagles' offensive line has been the former first-round pick. Becton was originally selected by the New York Jets and was tabbed as their future at tackle. That didn't pan out for Becton, but the Eagles signed him to a one-year deal where he has shined after taking over the right guard position in Philly.
If the Bears can't land Smith or another marquee free agent, Becton would be good consolation prize for a team that needs size and experience.
Josh Sweat
The Bears already have Montez Sweat, so why not double down on a Sweat-y defensive line? Josh Sweat (no relation to Montez) is a free agent this year, and has 43 career sacks in his seven-year career. He's listed as an outside linebacker for the Eagles, but that's because he plays in the Eagles' 3-4 defensive scheme that puts him at linebacker instead of defensive end.
Sweat had eight sacks this season, and had 11 sacks in the 2022 season where the Eagles also went to the Super Bowl. If the Bears are going to pay a premium at pass rusher, why not look at Sweat?
Nick Gates - Reserve offensive lineman
Gates is another reserve that Bears fans should know about. He won't get into the game on Sunday (he was placed on injured reserve on Saturday), but he's played in 66 NFL games and started 40 of them. He's started a game for the Eagles this season, meaning the team with one of the best offensive lines in the league trusts him to fill in a reserve capacity.
The Bears need help on the offensive line, from three starting spots on the interior to the depth pieces. Gates offers experience at guard and center, two spots where the Bears are currently without starters. He might not play, but if he does he could get on plenty of radars this offseason.
Fred Johnson - Reserve guard
Johnson is in the same category as Gates. He's played in 62 NFL games and started 14. Six of those starts have come in the 2024 season.
In his six-year NFL career, Johnson has never started more than six games in a single season. Again, the Bears need offensive line depth. Johnson would be a player that could provide the Bears with that kind of depth behind a draft pick or an incoming free agent Poles could bring in as the long-term future.