Should they stay or should they go now; breaking down the contract status of Bears players
The Bears are finally in a place where it doesn’t feel like they have needs everywhere on the roster. Yes, a 7-10 football team is still not a Super Bowl contender, but compared to where the team was a year ago, the Bears have made tremendous progress.
General manager Ryan Poles truly tore this thing down to the studs in 2022. The past year was the first step toward building it back up. Now — Bears fans hope — comes the fun part.
The Bears made some big additions, such as receiver DJ Moore and defensive end Montez Sweat. With more cap space and two first-round picks, the Bears will have another chance to add premium talent to the roster.
“We’re going to identify needs,” Poles said last week at Halas Hall. “What do we need? What are the holes in the roster? And then we’re going to attack them with the same relentlessness that we did this past season. Obviously, we have a lot more resources, so I’m excited to do that.”
But first, here’s a look at where the roster stands now, according to OverTheCap.com.
Under contract for 2024
* – indicates a player is on a futures contract.
Quarterback (2)
Tyson Bagent
Justin Fields
Running back (3)
Khalil Herbert
Travis Homer
Roschon Johnson
Fullback (1)
Khari Blasingame
Receiver (4)
Velus Jones Jr.
DJ Moore
Tyler Scott
* Nsimba Webster
Tight end (2)
* Stephen Carlson
Cole Kmet
Offensive tackle (5)
Larry Borom
* Aviante Collins
Braxton Jones
* Roy Mbaeteka
Darnell Wright
Interior offensive line (7)
Ja’Tyre Carter
* Jerome Carvin
Nate Davis
Teven Jenkins
* Doug Kramer
* Bill Murray
Cody Whitehair
Defensive end (5)
* Daniel Hardy
* Khalid Kareem
Dominique Robinson
Montez Sweat
DeMarcus Walker
Defensive tackle (4)
Andrew Billings
Gervon Dexter
* Michael Dwumfour
Zacch Pickens
Linebacker (5)
* Micah Baskerville
Tremaine Edmunds
TJ Edwards
Jack Sanborn
Noah Sewell
Cornerback (5)
Kyler Gordon
Jaylon Jones
Terell Smith
Tyrique Stevenson
Greg Stroman Jr.
Safety (6)
Jaquan Brisker
* Adrian Colbert
* Douglas Coleman
Elijah Hicks
Eddie Jackson
Quindell Johnson
Special teams (4)
P Trenton Gill
* LS Cameron Lyons
K Cairo Santos
* P Corliss Waitman
Restricted free agents (Bears have the option to match offers from other teams):
WR Collin Johnson
Exclusive rights free agents (if the Bears offer a contract at league minimum, these players cannot negotiate with other teams):
CB Josh Blackwell
Unrestricted free agents:
QB Nathan Peterman
RB D’Onta Foreman
WR Darnell Mooney
WR Equanimeous St. Brown
WR Trent Taylor
TE Marcedes Lewis
TE Robert Tonyan
C Lucas Patrick
G/C Dan Feeney
DE Yannick Ngakoue
DE Rasheem Green
DT Justin Jones
LB Dylan Cole
CB Jaylon Johnson
LS Patrick Scales
Some general thoughts and observations:
- Cornerback Jaylon Johnson is not likely to hit free agency. If the Bears and Johnson can’t come to an agreement on a contract extension before late February, the team will almost certainly use the franchise tag to keep him in Chicago next season.
- Guard Cody Whitehair is a prime candidate to be cut for salary-cap space. Whitehair, who ended the season as a backup, is set to cost $13 million against the salary cap in 2024. That would make him the second-highest paid player on the offense behind Moore. Cutting him would save $9 million of that cap hit.
- Safety Eddie Jackson is also a potential cap casualty, though he’s less of a sure thing as Whitehair. Jackson is a team captain and a locker room leader on defense. That matters. Jackson will cost $18 million against the cap in 2024, making him the third-highest paid player on the team. Cutting him would save $12.5 million but also would create another hole in the starting lineup.
- The Bears have a hole in the starting lineup at center. It’s possible they could look for another starting tackle, but that depends how the front office feels about Braxton Jones. They could also use another starting-caliber defensive end to play opposite Montez Sweat, and/or a starting-caliber defensive tackle. The linebacker position is in great shape. The secondary is, generally, in a good place if Johnson returns next season.
- As for depth, the Bears definitely need more help at tight end behind Cole Kmet. An NFL team can never have enough talent on the offensive line, especially on the interior. The Bears likely will look for an additional running back with D’Onta Foreman hitting free agency. Then there’s wide receiver, which could be a high priority this off-season. Outside of Moore, the Bears don’t have a reliable second or third option right now.
- The Bears could look to bring back long snapper Patrick Scales, who has played in every game since 2018. Second-year punter Trenton Gill ranked dead last in the NFL in net yards per punt. He ranked near the bottom in punts inside the 20-yard line. That could be a spot where the Bears look to improve, though they still have two years of control on Gill’s contract.