Pro Bowl safety Kevin Byard and breakout star Jaquan Brisker signal strong desire to return, making their contract renewals a top offseason priority for Chicago.
The Chicago Bears enter the offseason with some big decisions to make.
The Bears' magical 2025 season ended with an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round on Sunday night.
Now, there are some contracts the team should reconsider renewing before the 2026 season gets underway.
Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker are two of the most important players who are set to become free agents if their contracts aren't renewed.
Byard reached his third-ever Pro Bowl after leading the NFL with seven interceptions. He also finished with the second-most tackles (93) on the team and four TFLs.
His two-year, $15 million contract will expire, allowing him to test the free agent market, per Spotrac.
In a recent interview, Byard shared that he would love to sign an extension with the Bears and that there's been mutual interest from both parties.
"Yeah, I mean, you know, I would love to be back here," Byard said. "You know, when Poles came and got me last year, you know, I had had a tough couple of years, you know, just personally. But then, obviously, just with getting traded and all that stuff and coming here, I wanted to be able to prove that I was still that guy I've always been in my career. And I think I've done that the past couple years. You know, obviously, I just had a meeting with Ben and Poles and all that good stuff. You know, I definitely think there's mutual interest for me to be back, but at the end of the day, you know, I truly don't have any real control over it."
Brisker's rookie contract is up, but he has done more than enough to earn an extension. He was tied with Byard for tackles and also accounted for one interception, one sack and one TFL.
Brisker was asked whether he had discussed an extension with the organization, and he revealed he hadn't heard anything yet. He said he wants to return to the Bears in the future.
"I honestly didn't talk to anyone yet," Brisker said. "So, I'm not gonna sit here and tell you. You know what I mean? I'm being honest."
The safety was drafted out of Penn State in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. This season was a special one for him after he missed significant time due to injury in 2024.
He played in five games last season but stayed on the field in 2025, playing in all 17 games, plus the playoffs.
Re-signing Byard and Brisker should be the priority for the Bears this offseason.