Where do the Bears stand with their roster?
With the Philadelphia Eagles' win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, the 2024 NFL season is officially in the books.
For all 32 teams across the league, the focus already has shifted to next season.
The Bears have a new head coach in Ben Johnson, who has begun working with general manager Ryan Poles on how to improve the Bears roster.
Here’s a look at who the Bears have under contract for 2025 and who is set to become a free agent. Contract status is according to OverTheCap.com.
Under contract for 2025
* — indicates a player is on a futures contract.
Quarterback (3)
Tyson Bagent, *Austin Reed, Caleb Williams
Running back (3)
Roschon Johnson, D’Andre Swift, Ian Wheeler
Receiver (6)
*Maurice Alexander, *John Jackson, DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Tyler Scott, *Samori Toure
Tight end (4)
Gerald Everett, Cole Kmet, *Jordan Murray, *Joel Wilson
Offensive tackle (5)
Kiran Amegadjie *Theo Benedet, Braxton Jones, *Joshua Miles, Darnell Wright
Interior offensive line (3)
Ryan Bates *Chris Glaser, *Ricky Stromberg
Defensive end (5)
Austin Booker, *Jamree Kromah, Dominique Robinson, Montez Sweat, DeMarcus Walker
Defensive tackle (3)
Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter, Zacch Pickens
Linebacker (4)
Tremaine Edmunds, TJ Edwards, *Carl Jones Jr., Noah Sewell
Cornerback (4)
Kyler Gordon, Jaylon Johnson, Terell Smith, Tyrique Stevenson
Safety (5)
Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, *Alex Cook, Elijah Hicks, Jonathan Owens
Special teams (2)
P Tory Taylor, K Cairo Santos
Restricted free agents (Bears have the option to match offers from other teams)
CB Josh Blackwell, C Doug Kramer, CB Jaylon Jones, LB Jack Sanborn, DT Chris Williams
Exclusive rights free agents (if the Bears offer a contract at league minimum, these players cannot negotiate with other teams)
S Douglas Coleman, DT Jonathan Ford, DE Daniel Hardy, OL Bill Murray, DB Ameer Speed
Unrestricted free agents
WR Keenan Allen, OL Larry Borom, TE Stephen Carlson, WR DeAndre Carter, S Adrian Colbert, DT Byron Cowart, OL Jake Curhan, LS Scott Daly, RB Darrynton Evans, RB Travis Homer, OL Teven Jenkins, WR Collin Johnson, TE Marcedes Lewis, DE Jacob Martin, DB Tarvarius Moore, LB Amen Ogbongbemiga, OL Matt Pryor, LS Patrick Scales, C Coleman Shelton, DE Darrell Taylor, WR Nsimba Webster
What it means
— Keenan Allen is the biggest name set to hit the free agent market. In his first season in Chicago, Allen totaled 70 receptions for 744 yards and seven touchdowns. Allen, who turns 33 in April, has never been a free agent. He spent 11 seasons with the Chargers before the Bears traded for him in March. The Bears could be a favorite to land him in 2025. Allen indicated toward the end of the season that his preference is to either stay in Chicago or go back to Los Angeles.
— If Allen does walk away in free agency, the Bears will need to think about what they want their receiving group to look like behind DJ Moore. That would likely mean Rome Odunze becomes the No. 2 target. What does this team want in a No. 3 receiver? A small speedy guy or a bigger-bodied target?
— Left guard Teven Jenkins said last month he was mentally preparing to hit free agency. The former second-round draft pick was one of the team’s best linemen but simply couldn’t stay healthy over the course of a full season. He started only 38 games in four years.
— How do the Bears attack the offensive line? That is one of the biggest questions facing this roster in 2025. Only two starters are set to return: left tackle Braxton Jones and right tackle Darnell Wright. Interior lineman Ryan Bates remains under contract for one more season, but he hardly qualifies as a starter. Bates entered the season expecting to be the starting center. Injuries limited him to three games in 2024. Presumably Wright, the No. 10 overall draft pick in 2023, is the only sure thing on the offensive line in 2025. Center Coleman Shelton is set to become a free agent.
— Defensively, the Bears don’t have a strong No. 2 at defensive end. Montez Sweat had a down year with only 5.5 sacks, despite appearing in 16 games. It’s evident he needs help. If the Bears can pair him with another top defensive end, that could work wonders for the defensive line.
— Additionally, the Bears' defensive line underperformed after defensive tackle Andrew Billings suffered a season-ending injury in November. The Bears need better depth along the interior.
— The secondary might be one area where the Bears don’t have to make any drastic changes. Starters Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard return next season. Nickel corner Kyler Gordon has one more year remaining on his rookie contract.