The 2025 season came to a close in a tough way for the Chicago Bears after falling to the Los Angeles Rams 20-17 in overtime.
Some players didn't rush out of the locker room after the game to spend time together, grieving the loss. Bears safety Jaquan Brisker explained to the media during the locker room cleanout why he sat back and stayed there longer than others did.
“It could’ve been my last time in a Bears uniform, and I wanted to soak that in," Brisker said via CHGO.
Jaquan Brisker might not be back in Chicago in 2026
The Bears selected Brisker in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and he was instantly a starter on the defense. He played well in his first two seasons, recording over 100 yards in each season, but then 2024 happened.
A bad concussion cost Brisker 12 games in the 2024 season, and all of a sudden, left the 2025 campaign as a challenging contract year for him. Brisker responded by playing in all 17 games in 2025, posting 93 tackles, eight pass deflections, three quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, one sack, and one interception.
Despite the decent numbers, Brisker did not have a great season for the Bears as he struggled on and off throughout the year. Pro Football Focus gave him a fitting grade of 60.4, ranking him 68th out of 98 safeties in the NFL.
Going into the postseason, there were questions about whether Brisker would be back in 2026, but he complicated it by making that decision harder on the Bears. He has a stellar game against the Rams, racking up a game-high 14 tackles, two pass deflections, one quarterback hit, one tackle for loss, and one sack in the loss.
Chicago is going to be losing both starting safeties in Brisker and All-Pro Kevin Byard. The early expectation is that the Bears will try to bring back Byard but might pass on Brisker depending on his asking price.
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Brisker had some good moments for the Bears and proved to be an NFL starting safety, but his inconsistent play in the secondary is something Chicago has to address in the offseason to improve that defense. There's a chance Brisker looks for a new home in 2026.