The Chicago Bears are gearing up for an exciting 2025 NFL season, which features some new faces within the organization poised to get the franchise back to its winning ways. That starts with the hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach, as well as overhauling the interior offensive line, adding pieces on defense and a potenital impactful rookie draft class.
Every day from now right up through training camp, we’re counting down our 30 Most Important Bears for the 2025 season. We’ll recap their 2024 season, look ahead to 2025 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year.
Next up at No. 21 is safety Kevin Byard, who will once again serve as a key leader and contributor on defense.
Background
Position: Safety
Age: 31
Experience: 10th season
2025 cap hit: $8.5 million
2024 recap
The Bears signed Kevin Byard to a two-year, $15 million contract last offseason to serve as a 1-2 punch at safety alongside Jaquan Brisker. In his first season in Chicago, Byard, a two-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler, proved to be a valuable contributor and leader in a young secondary as things spiraled out of control under former head coach Matt Eberflus amid a 10-game losing streak. Byard was one of the more reliable members of the defense, posting a career-high 130 total tackles, becoming the first Bears defensive back to lead the team in tackles since 2014. He also tied a career-high 2.0 sacks and made plays be it through forcing takeaways, recovering turnovers and breaking up passes. Byard also started every game in 2024, which was huge for this defense, especially with Brisker missing 12 games due to a concussion.
2025 outlook
The Bears defense is welcoming some new faces to the roster — and coaching staff — this season, but Byard will provide stability in a talented secondary looking to anchor this unit. Byard is coming off an encouraging first season with Chicago, where he played most of the year without Jaquan Brisker and aided by reserves Jonathan Owens and Elijah Hicks. Now, Byard is back with Brisker for the first year under new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who’s looking to instill a violent, aggressive mentality on defense. Byard’s best ability was availability as he started every since game in 2024, which was sorely needed with Brisker missing 12 games. Outside of production, Byard will be relied on to once again serve as a veteran leader on this defense and team, a role that he thrived in amid chaos last season. The hope is this year will possess the stability lacking last season.
Big Question: Does Kevin Byard have a future in Chicago?
In just one season with Chicago, Byard proved himself to be a valuable asset for this defense, and that should only continue into his second year with Dennis Allen leading the defense. But Byard (along with his running mate Brisker) is entering a contract year, which raises questions about his future beyond 2025. Byard’s caplet of $8.5 million is modest compared to some other big-name players on the roster. But if the Bears can find a viable option in the 2026 NFL draft (which is a long ways away), they could opt to let Byard hit the open market. With Byard’s running mate Jaquan Brisker also in a contract year, that begs the question whether the Bears would consider both or either. The good news is, at least right now, there’s no succession plan in place at safety, which could earn Byard another short-term deal in 2026.
30 Most Important Bears of 2025
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 30 Most Important Bears of 2025: Kevin Byard (No. 21)
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri and Brendan Sugrue, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
