The Chicago Bears did not get the kind of production from the defensive line they were hoping for, but Gervon Dexter was nice to watch at tackle.
After finishing second on the team in sacks last season with six, Dexter has caught the attention of NFL teams, which have come calling on Chicago to see if he is available for a trade, but the Bears don't appear to be interested. All that might be enough for the team to realize that Dexter might need a pay raise soon enough. Bleacher Report writer Brad Gagnon agreed with that, as he named Dexter as the most underpaid player on the Bears.
"We went with Dexter over Caleb Williams last year and are sticking with those guys as our winner and runner-up after both continued to make progress in 2025. Williams is obviously a higher-impact player, but he'll make more than $10 million next season while Dexter will still cost just $2.1 million in the final year of his rookie contract. He recorded a career-high six sacks while forcing two fumbles in '25."
Gervon Dexter named most underpaid player on the Bears
Last season, Dexter racked up 44 tackles, 11 quarterback hits, six tackles for loss, six sacks, and two fumble recoveries in 17 games. Going into the 2026 season, he's looking at a base salary of $1.5 million with a cap hit of $2.1 million.
Bears fans understand the value Dexter brings to the franchise and know he will eventually have to be paid. He himself knows it's coming as he showed it by hiring sports agent Drew Rosenhaus to represent him.
Dexter isn't going to be cheap either, but he shouldn't be among the highest-paid tackles in the league. He might be looking at anything north of $10 million per year, which would be worth it with a tackle room that isn't exactly the strongest.
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The Bears will have to prepare to give Dexter a big payday. Chicago fans hope they have the cap space to make it happen, since they have only $1 million to work with.