The offseason is officially underway for the Chicago Bears as they get ready to retool their roster and coaching staff following a very successful 2025 campaign under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. The Bears went 11-6 to capture the NFC North division crown and advanced to the divisional round of the postseason for the first time in 15 years before being eliminated.
Now, general manager Ryan Poles will roll up his sleeves, as he will need to make tough decisions at a number of different positions on the team. One of those areas is at safety, where the Bears have question marks across the entire group. Starters Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, as well as reserves Jonathan Owens and Elijah Hicks, are all free agents this offseason. With no safeties under contract going into the 2026 season, Poles will need to find a solution for the position.
During his end-of-year press conference on Wednesday, Poles was asked about the statuses of Byard and Brisker and if it’s possible the Bears bring both of them back. The general manager gave a clear answer regarding one player while keeping things vague about the other.
“We’re going to take a step back and kind of evaluate that and put that puzzle together. It’s actually four safeties that aren’t under contract for next year, so I have a lot of faith in our process that we’ll do that,” Poles said. “I think Kevin is a special player. I have no problem saying that’s a player that we would like to have back, but again, when you add the other safeties in that mix and all the other decisions across the roster, cap restraints, things like that, it will be a challenge.”
Poles was asked about the starting safeties but only expressed interest in re-signing Byard, who had an All-Pro season. Byard, who signed a two-year deal in the 2024 offseason, led the league with seven interceptions, had eight passes defensed, and totaled 93 tackles while playing in all 17 games. Off the field, Byard was voted a team captain and consistently broke the team down before every game. He recently expressed interest in returning to Chicago as well, so it’s possible an extension gets done sooner rather than later.
As for Brisker, there were plenty of question marks surrounding his health going into the 2025 season. The former second-round pick suffered a scary concussion in 2024, knocking him out of the final 12 games of the season. To his credit, Brisker didn’t miss a game and rebounded nicely, totaling 93 tackles, one for loss, one sack, eight passes defensed, and one interception. His best game as a Bear came in the divisional playoff loss to the Rams, where he notched 14 tackles, one for loss, one sack, and two passes defensed. Brisker would also like to return in 2026, but it appears the Bears will prioritize Byard, leaving the former Penn State standout’s status up in the air.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears GM Ryan Poles discusses plans for Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker
Reporting by Brendan Sugrue, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
