The Chicago Bears have a heap of free agent decisions to make this offseason. One player that they may want to prioritize bringing back is safety Kevin Byard?
ESPN had every beat reporter give one free agent from the team they cover that is a must-sign free agent. Courtney Cronin chose Kevin Byard for the Bears.
"The 32-year-old safety led the NFL with seven interceptions and logged the fourth-most passes defensed (8) on the Bears' defense. Chicago's brass values Byard's contributions on the field as much as it does his impact in the locker room, where he was a captain in back-to-back seasons after signing a two-year, $15 million contract with the Bears in 2024. Byard is open to returning to Chicago and the Bears have expressed a desire to bring him back. But they also have decisions to make on three other safeties ahead of free agency, most notably Jaquan Brisker."Courtney Cronin
Will the Chicago Bears extend Kevin Byard this offseason?
The reality is that they are unlikely to retain both Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker. Spotrac has Brisker to make about $10 million per year in free agency, while Byard is projected for $7 million. Last year, Byard was at $8.5 million, and Brisker was at $4 million. So, that is an increase of about $5 million to bring the two back.
That does not mention that Nahshon Wright is projected for close to $16 million, and they already have Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Johnson accounting for over $38 million in cap hits next year. At some point, they have to stop paying everyone in the secondary.
If you had to rank them based on who would be back, Byard is clearly the most likely to be back. First, the other two are seeing their salary soar from the previous year, while Byard may see less money this year.
Brisker is young and has a pedigree. He is likely going to find the highest bidder, and there may be teams driving his price up. It is smart for the Bears to have a price and not go over it.
Byard is much older, but he was still a quality player last year. Still, some teams will be cautious to sign him when he hits the wall. Meanwhile, the Bears trust he knows the system
Byard has a much longer track record than Wright. The Bears also have Tyrique Stevenson, who could start in place of Wright, while they do not have an option to start if they lose Byard.
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The Bears should probably draft a Brisker replacement, and it would not hurt to have a veteran like Byard next to him when he starts his career. When you factor in salaries, ages, and fits, it is clear that Byard is the free agent secondary player they have to retain.