Chicago Bears leave little doubt of Kyler Gordon's value with massive extension

After being teased in recent months by the Chicago Bears front office, coaching staff, and Kyler Gordon himself, the Bears and Gordon have reached an agreement on a contract extension.

The 2024 season was a breakout campaign for Gordon, where he not only asserted himself as one of the best slot cornerbacks in the league, but he was also the Bears' best blitzer. At the NFL Owners Meetings earlier this month, Ryan Poles did admit that the Bears had placed a priority on extending Gordon before the start of the season. Prior to the extension, Gordon was set to become a free agent after the 2025 season.

Now, Gordon is the highest-paid slot cornerback in the NFL and will be under team control through the 2028 season.

When combing through the Bears roster, Gordon was the obvious candidate to receive a contract extension. Gordon's value to the Bears was on display during the early days of free agency in March. Rather than retain linebacker Jack Sanborn under a new contract, the Bears were comfortable letting him become an unrestricted free agent. Sanborn's role in the Bears' defense became less featured last season due to Gordon's ability in the slot.

When Gordon received the Ed Block Courage Award at Halas Hall last month, he expressed the desire to sign an extension with the Bears.

“I mean I love Chicago,” Gordon said. “I love everything about it — the people, the history, the team, the community, so if this is where God tells me to be, this is where I will be, this is where I want to be. As far as extension, we’ll see what happens."

The move also gives the Bears stability at the cornerback position with Gordon and Jaylon Johnson locked up for the long-term. The 2025 season will be an important season for Tyrique Stevenson as his development during the 2024 season took a step backwards.