Safety Jaquan Brisker heads to Pittsburgh after a strong Bears tenure. His surprisingly affordable deal raises questions about Chicago's retention strategy.
Well, it feels like it's been coming for a while now, but it became a reality on Thursday.
Jaquan Brisker won't be playing in a Chicago Bears uniform in 2026, as he is joining the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency, as reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Brisker had a solid last season with the Bears in 2025, recording 93 total tackles, one interception, one sack and one TFL. Brisker was not afraid to come up and help in run support as a safety during his time in the Windy City.
It had been rumored all offseason that it was unlikely Brisker would return to Chicago after his rookie contract expired, given his rising market value following a solid 2025 campaign.
It became apparent that the Bears were heading in a different direction at safety after they signed free agent Coby Bryant from the Seattle Seahawks. He joined the team on a three-year, $40 million deal, which would make it difficult for Chicago to afford bringing back either Kevin Byard or Brisker.
The headscratcher here is the amount of money that Brisker is heading to Pittsburgh for. The Steelers signed him to a one-year, $5.5 million deal. If that was how much he signed for with the Steelers, how come the Bears didn't try to bring him back?
It doesn't make sense that the Bears wouldn't at least try to retain Brisker if that were the amount of money he would end up signing for in free agency.
One reason could be how close to home Brisker is now since he is back in Pennsylvania. The Bears selected Brisker in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Penn State.
Brisker is a native of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, who played high school football at Gateway.
The team already has Bryant in place after signing him in free agency, and they brought in defensive back Cam Lewis, who has primarily been a slot corner in his NFL career.
However, the team still needs another safety, and I'd imagine that they will fill that need in the 2026 NFL Draft. General Manager Ryan Poles has been able to find solid talent in late rounds of drafts, selecting running back Kyle Monangai in the seventh round.
This move has been coming for a while, but it stings a little after seeing how cheap Brisker signed for with the Steelers. Perhaps the lure of playing in his home state was too great for him to come back to the Bears in 2026.
The energy and passion that he brought to the secondary will definitely be missed.