Free agency won’t be the salvation of the Chicago Bears this offseason. It is never the salvation for teams, period. The goal is to find productive players at affordable prices. The Bears attempted to take a couple of big swings last year with Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett. Both disappointed. Now with salary cap issues to work with, it is unlikely general manager Ryan Poles is thinking about being overly aggressive this spring. That might explain why ESPN only has them connected to one pending free agent: Kamren Curl.
There is a bitter irony in that. Curl is the Los Angeles Rams safety who intercepted Caleb Williams in overtime, setting the stage for the Bears’ elimination. If you can’t beat him, sign him, apparently. However, Matt Bowen believes Curl is a great fit for Dennis Allen’s defensive scheme thanks to his versatility and stout run defense. With all four of the Bears’ top safeties hitting the open market next month, it would make sense for they to look to add somebody to that position if they can’t retain their own.
41. Kam Curl, S
Best team fit: Chicago Bears
Both of Chicago’s starting safeties (Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard III) are free agents, opening up some spots. In coordinator Dennis Allen’s defense, Curl (who had two picks with the Rams in 2025) can play as an interchangeable safety and improve the Bears’ run defense. And don’t be surprised if the team brings back Byard to join him, too.
Kamren Curl would be a puzzling choice.
Not because of his talent, mind you. He is a solid football player. It is more about the money it would require to get him. Spotrac projects he will command around $10 million per year on his next deal. That is right around the same amount of money it would take to retain Jaquan Brisker. Wouldn’t it make more sense to just keep the guy you know over bringing in an unknown? They’re the same age and have roughly the same coverage stats. The one advantage Kamren Curl might have is his durability. He’s only missed seven games across six seasons. Brisker has missed 16.
The truth is, it feels unlikely the Bears will spend that kind of money on two safeties. Most experts agree the team will prioritize keeping Kevin Byard, fresh off an All-Pro season. That should command around $8 million per year. Shelling out another $10 million for Curl wouldn’t make financial sense, given the bad contracts they have elsewhere on defense. A far likelier outcome is that they will supplement the position with a cheaper free agent and then look for help in the draft.
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It is a common practice teams use, including the Bears. Sign a quality veteran and pair him with a rookie. This way when the older one has to leave for any reason, you have the young one hopefully ready to step into a more prominent role.
