The Chicago Bears have 17 players on the current roster who are up for free agency at the end of this season. The list includes four wideouts, two tight ends, two edge rushers, two cornerbacks, two guards, one running back, one defensive tackle, one linebacker, and one kicker and long snapper.
Which free agents will the Chicago Bears sign?
The biggest name on this list is cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who is having the best season of his already good career. The Next two big key guys on the list are running back D'Onta Foreman and wideout Darnell Mooney.
Kicker Cairo Santos is also higher on the list, with everyone else either being a low-end starter, rotational guy, or backup player.
Out of the four names listed above the Bears would likley bring back three out of four of those names. Johnson (CB), Foreman (RB), and Santos (K).
The most likely outcome for Johnson is being hit with the franchise tag and with the hope of a long-term deal getting done during the off-season.
Foreman would likely be resigned to a one-year deal again but with an increase of pay from his current 2 million dollar contract.
Santos has been the best kicker the Bears have had since moving on from Robbie Gould, and he should sign around a 3-year extension with the team.
At the start of the year, Darnell Mooney was a top pick for the Bears to get an extension done alongside Johnson, but, unlike Johnson, his play this year hasn't granted him a second deal with the team. Reports of Mooney being unhappy with his current role with the Bears have also popped up this season, and we could see him not wanting to resign from the Bears.
Center Lucas Patrick, edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue, and defensive tackle Justin Jones are all starters for the Bears this season who likely won't be making their return next season. Either due to poor play, underperforming, or having younger players in the same position pushing them off the rooster.
The Bears will likely bring back wideout Equanimeous St. Brown, wideout/ returner Trent Taylor, Corner Josh Blackwell, and edge rusher Rasheem Green just due to them being valuable depth pieces for the Bears.
Wideout Joe Reed, linebacker Dylan Coles, tight end Robert Tonyan, and center/guard Dan Feeney will all be players that have a chance to resign with the Bears but it will either be late in the offseason or not at all.
Tight end Marcedes Lewis will most likely retire at the end of the season but even if he doesn't retire the Bears don't have much use for the soon-to-be 40-year-old tight end and will look to get younger for their tight end three spot.
The last player on the list will resign with the Bears if he wants and that is Bears long snapper Patrick Scales who has already signed five one-year deals with the Bears in the past and if he wants would likely sign his sixth in a row.
With the amount of cap space the Bears will have entering this offseason with they can afford to spend big and resign all of these players if they want but will likely only spend big on Johnson.