The Chicago Bears are coming off a fantastic season, one that far exceeded most predictions as the season got underway. The primary hope for the Bears was that first-year head coach Ben Johnson would be able to do two things in his first year. The first and most important would be to turn second-year QB Caleb Williams into a much-improved player who gained a greater handle on how to play at the NFL level. The second was that Johnson would show off the creativity the Detroit Lions offense was known for when he was the offensive coordinator for head coach Dan Campbel in the Motor City.
Johnson met both of those goals and he also was able to reach all of his players and create a new identity for the Bears. Instead of being a team that reacted to what opponents did, the Bears dictated the action on both sides of the ball and also did the same on special teams. The result was a team went from last place to first place in the NFC North Division and earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff structure.
The Bears defeated the archrival Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs and ended decades of frustration against the Cheeseheads by beating Green Bay in 2 of 3 matchups. There's every reason to believe that Green Bay's dominance in the series that has been in place since Brett Favre began his tenure in Green Bay in 1992 is now over.
No time for Bears management to look back; DJ Moore likely out
The Bears were within a play or two of beating the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional playoffs and advancing to the NFC championship game. While Bears fans can bask in the glory of their success in the 2025 season, general manager Ryan Poles and Johnson can't look back. They have to look ahead to the 2026 season, and that means making upgrades to the team's personnel. That starts with looking at the roster and saying goodbye to some of the high-priced talent.
The idea is that they have to maximize the players who are supporting Williams. One of the players who is likely to have played his last game for the Bears is DJ Moore.
Moore has not been a good player for the Bears since the team acquired him from the Carolina Panthers in 2023. He has given the Bears a sense of professionalism that had been missing prior to his arrival.
However, is Moore really an elite receiver who can give the Bears the same thing Justin Jefferson gives the Minnesota Vikings or Ja'Marr Chase gives the Cincinnati Bengals? The answer to that question is likely a firm no, and that's why the Bears will move on from a player who earns $23.485 million per season and is under contract through the 2029 season. There is an opt out after 2027, but the Bears may not wait that long to part with their top receiver.
Moore did not have his best season in 2025 as he had 50 receptions for 682 yards and 6 TDs. That was way down from his production in 2023 and '24 when he averaged 97 receptions for 1,165 yards and 7 touchdowns. As a result, the Bears are likely to use his salary on other players.
LB Tremaine Edmunds
The Bears signed Tremaine Edmunds to a 4-year, $72 million contract prior to the 2023 season, and he has been a solid performer. He will carry a cap hit of $17.4 million in 2026, and the Bears have to decide if that allocation will help the team show improvement in 2027.
Edmunds had 112 tackles to lead the team in the 13 games he was on the field. He also had 4 interceptions, 9 passes defensed, 3 tackles for loss and 1 fumble recovery.
As productive as Edmunds has been with the Bears, he was non as productive as Kevin Byard (7 interceptions), Nahshon Wright (5 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries and Montez Sweat (10.0 sacks) when it came to big plays.
Poles may have to make a painful decision with regards to Edmunds' future with the Bears
TE Cole Kmet
When the Bears rallied to tie the Rams in the divisional playoffs with a touchdown in the last 18 seconds of the 4th quarter, it was Cole Kmet who caught the spectacular TD pass from Williams. Kmet was able to get open deep in the corner of the end zone and hauled in the memorable throw.
Despite that play, Kmet does not seem to be one of Williams' primary receivers. He caught 30 passes for 347 yards and just 2 TDs during the regular season. He has fallen well behind fellow TE Colston Loveland, and that separation is likely to be even more significant in the 2026 season.
Kmet is scheduled to earn $8.9 million in each of the next two seasons, and those funds will likely be spent on other players. The Bears will say goodbye to Kmet.
