The Chicago Bears now face their most important offseason in recent memory. They won the division this year, made the playoffs, and were 15 yards away from likely going to the NFC championship. It is clear this team is good enough to challenge for a Super Bowl. All they need is one more push. That responsibility falls to GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson over the next few months. It starts with figuring out who they want to keep among several in-house free agents. Near the top of that list is Jaquan Brisker.
After missing most of last season with a concussion, the safety played every game in 2025. He finished with 93 tackles, a sack, an interception, and eight passes defended. His performance in the playoff loss to Los Angeles was excellent, reminding everybody of what his versatility brings. The problem is whether it was enough to convince the team to hand him a second contract. According to Dan Graziano of ESPN, that seems unlikely, not because of the injury concerns, but the growing market awaiting him in March.
The 2022 second-round pick still doesn’t have an extension, which isn’t the best sign in terms of his future with a team that has a ton of offseason decisions to make. It sounds to me as if Brisker will have an outside market that prices him out of Chicago.
Another Bears dilemma complicates the decision on Jaquan Brisker.
Keep in mind, they’ve already handed lucrative contracts to both Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. They can’t afford to pay everybody. Some money must be saved for elsewhere. Such is the nature of the salary cap era. Sooner or later, a sacrifice must be made. Do the Bears think they can survive without Jaquan Brisker? The short answer is yes. His production is not irreplaceable. Finding good safeties in the draft is easier than finding them at premium positions like cornerback and pass rusher.
Right now, Jaquan Brisker is projected to command at least $10 million per year. If the market is as strong as ESPN says, it’ll probably end up being more. Even with some cap restructuring, that seems like too much for the Bears to commit to a guy who wasn’t even the best player at his position on the team. Kevin Byard should probably get priority treatment despite being in his 30s. Who knows. Maybe Brisker and the front office find a way to make it work. Based on where things are trending, though, his future lies elsewhere.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
