Chicago Bears: 5 players who will be gone after 2021 season

Looking at the state of the Chicago Bears roster just a couple of months ago, it would have been easy to take a gloomy approach at navigating their future.

Ryan Pace seemed to be on his way to tearing apart the roster, losing Kyle Fuller and potentially trading Akiem Hicks. Not to mention, the Allen Robinson saga was a bad look.

Yet, everything drastically changed during the 2021 NFL Draft. It all changed in a matter of moments when Pace moved up to get quarterback Justin Fields. It was amazing how fans’ outlooks began to change — and all because this team finally invested in the right franchise quarterback.

Sure, the roster still had some holes. But, when you have what could be your quarterback for the next decade, things took on a new meaning. The Bears have hope. They have a future — and a bright one.

Although the future looks bright, not all Chicago Bears players are safe for 2022

The 2021 season will be a benchmark year. We will see just what Fields is capable of, at some point, during his rookie campaign. The offense could take enormous steps, while the defense needs to get back to being aggressive under new defensive coordinator Sean Desai.

In a way, the Bears will be looking at which pieces to keep for the future and whom to build around. I don’t think anyone expects this team to compete for a Super Bowl just yet, but Fields could have that outlook switch pretty quickly based on his play in 2021.

Then, going into the 2022 season, Pace and the front office will have a lot of decisions to make. There are several players whom Pace could allow to walk right out the door, and for good reason, in order to improve this roster with the long-term future in mind.

Initially, there are five particular players which come to mind in that respect. Following the 2021 season, these players likely won’t be in a Bears uniform.