The Cap Moves the Chicago Bears Need to Make This Offseason

The 2025 season was a major success for the Chicago Bears. The team exceeded expectations across the board. But they still came up short of the ultimate goal: hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

And while that may not have felt realistic at the beginning of the year, the closer Chicago got, the more tangible it became.

Even so, it’s hard not to come away encouraged. The Bears look like they have the right quarterback, head coach, and offensive line in place.

That makes the objective moving forward fairly cut and dry: go all out to improve the defense and turn it into a championship-caliber unit that can match an explosive offense.

As we approach the upcoming offseason, general manager Ryan Poles will be tasked with adding the pieces needed to push this team closer to true contention. That’s easier said than done, given the current circumstances.

Right now, the Bears are projected to have –$5.3 million in cap space for the 2026 league year. If they’re going to make the additions necessary to become a more balanced team, they’ll need to get creative—and clear some room.

It’s very doable. But it will require some tough decisions.

Here’s a look at what the Bears can—and should—do to open up cap space before the offseason truly begins and free agency opens.

Tremaine Edmunds has one year remaining on his contract and is owed a $13.9 million base salary that is not guaranteed.

At one point, he was a fun luxury addition as the Bears pushed to become competitive with their previous core. But in the present day, he no longer lives up to that billing.

Edmunds isn’t an essential piece of what the Bears do defensively, and the $15 million in savings from cutting him could be better spent on younger players at more premium positions.

I’ve gone back and forth on this one for a while. And hearing all the positive things that head coach Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles had to say about DJ Moore after the season didn’t make it any easier.

Still, if Chicago can find a trade partner—and, more importantly, recoup meaningful draft capital—they should seriously consider it.

The future of Ben Johnson’s offense revolves around Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, and Colston Loveland as the primary pass catchers for Caleb Williams. As those young players continue to grow, Moore becomes less essential, and the $16.5 million in savings could be redirected toward the defense to make the Bears a more complete team.

This is a minor move, but it still matters.

Any time you can cut a reserve player—especially one with injury issues who hasn’t been indispensable on special teams—and save a couple million dollars above the league minimum, it’s a decision worth making.

The Bears need to be careful not to go overboard with contract restructures, even though they’re one of the most effective tools available to create cap space. Accumulating too much dead money can easily come back to haunt a team down the line.

This is a tool best used in moderation.

The most obvious restructure candidates are older, highly paid players who are still productive and clearly part of the team’s short- and medium-term plans.

Joe Thuney, Grady Jarrett, and Jaylon Johnson fit that description. Whether because of their on-field importance or the structure of their contracts, all three are likely to remain with the Bears for the next few seasons.

By converting portions of their base salaries into signing bonuses and spreading that money over the remaining years of their deals, the Bears could save more than $25 million against the cap while keeping all three players in the fold.

Taken together, these moves—if executed early in the offseason—would free up nearly $60 million in cap space.

That’s more than enough flexibility for Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson to get to work.