After the Chicago Bears lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, veteran tight end Cole Kmet shared the harsh truth about the NFL.
“The fact of the matter is like this is a week-to-week, year-to-year league, and the locker room is going to look a lot different next year,” Kmet told reporters in the postgame locker room.
If there is one aspect about the NFL that is constant, it's exactly that. Coaches and players will come and go, leaving behind a 2025 Bears’ season that showed so much promise.
One way the roster will change is through free agency. Teams can begin discussing terms for new player deals during the March 9-10 negotiation period. Then the free agency window will officially open on March 11 at 4:00 pm ET.
Bears have two players in ESPN's top 50 free agents
ESPN's Matt Bowen released his top 50 pending free agents, and two Bears players made the list.
Up first is cornerback Nahshon Wright at No. 37. The Bears’ cornerback had a breakout season in his first season with Chicago. The 6-foot-4, 199-pound cornerback played in all 17 games and had five interceptions, 11 passes defensed, three fumble recoveries, and 80 combined tackles.
The Bears’ secondary dealt with injuries throughout the 2025 season, and Wright provided the defense with an opportunistic defensive back who made some big plays for the defense.
“What he brings: A long, linear cornerback at 6-foot-4, 199 pounds, Wright had a career-best five interceptions in 2025. He took one back for a touchdown and also broke up seven passes. Though Wright lacks high-end recovery speed, his length, play instincts and production will increase his value for a defense that needs help in man coverage and Cover 2.”
The second Bears player comes in at No. 44, safety Jaquan Brisker.
“What he brings: A downhill safety who creates disruption near the line of scrimmage, Brisker played in all 17 games this season after missing 12 in 2024 with a concussion. He's an alley filler who can blitz, plus he can play over the top in the deep half. In four seasons with the Bears, Brisker has had four interceptions, seven sacks and 14 pass breakups.”
Brisker had one of his best games of his career in the Divisional loss to the Rams, finishing with a game-high 14 total tackles, one sack and a tackle for loss.
Both Kevin Byard III and Brisker, the Bears’ starting safeties, are not under contract for the 2025 season, and it's highly unlikely the team would bring back both players. General manager Ryan Poles has also expressed an interest in re-signing Byard.
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Even though Wright had a career year, he might be too expensive to re-sign. Jaylon Johson should return next season fully healthy from his core muscle/groin injuries, and Tyrique Stevenson still has one year left on his rookie contract.