The Chicago Bears have stubbornly stuck to their original stance. Despite concerns about their lack of consistent production at the edge rush position last season, the team opted to do nothing in free agency or the draft to address it. Part of it was because they didn’t have much money to spend and got some bad luck in the draft. However, their lack of urgency was pretty telling. General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson both said they feel the team has enough talent at the position. What they must do is coach better. All the while, serious options like Cameron Jordan remained available on the market.
Not anymore. News broke this week that the long-time Pro Bowler is returning to the New Orleans Saints on a one-year deal. He believes this will likely be his final year, making him one of the very few players in modern history to play his Hall of Fame career with one franchise. It’s hard to tell if this was always the plan or if he didn’t have a strong enough market to convince him leaving the only team he’s known was worth it. Either way, this removes any realistic option for the Bears to improve their edge rush from the outside.
Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan will end his career in New Orleans after signing a one-year deal during the team’s minicamp Tuesday.
Jordan’s 16th NFL season likely will be his last, according to a video he posted on social media that highlighted his return. The end of the video had the tagline: “One final season.”
“I’m going to treat it like it’s the final season with intention because I believe between God and my wife, that’s the only two people that can get me back through,” Jordan said.
Cameron Jordan exit leaves Bears with few options.
As proven assets go, he was the only one left without many questions aside from obviously being in his late 30s. Joey Bosa played the healthiest season he has had in years in 2025, but only managed five sacks. He might be out of gas. Haason Reddick and Bryce Huff are both undersized for Dennis Allen’s preferred edge archetype. Von Miller is possible since he played for Allen as a rookie in 2011. Then again, he’s 37 and a part-time player at this stage of his career.
That leaves Jadeveon Clowney, who does fit the measurables Chicago likes. Unfortunately, he also has a long history of injury problems. He had 8.5 sacks last season, but missed four games. There is a reason he’s played for six different teams since 2019. At 33 years old, there is no telling what you’ll get from Clowney because his production seems to fluctuate from year to year. That isn’t the type of player one throws money at unless you’re certain a Super Bowl is really close.
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All the pressure falls on Austin Booker now.
The Bears have said that they wish to give Dayo Odeyingbo and Shemar Turner another opportunity to build on what they showed last season. That may sound nice, but the truth is neither played overly well before suffering season-ending injuries. Odeyingbo is now coming off a torn Achilles, while Turner still hasn’t returned to practice from his torn ACL. Those two are unlikely to be a major factor this season, at least early on. That puts all of the pressure, no pun intended, on Booker.
He did have a strong finish to last season, posting 4.5 sacks in his final six games. What isn’t known is whether he can sustain that for a full year. Booker missed half of last season with a knee injury. He’s still kind of a mystery. Adding Cameron Jordan would’ve at least provided the Bears with some insurance. Now they’ve backed themselves into a corner. The only way out is either Booker breaking out or pivoting to a possible trade at the deadline in October.
