The Bears paid Kyler Gordon, who’s next for an extension?

CHICAGO (WGN) — The Chicago Bears signed Kyler Gordon to a record-setting contract extension for slot corners in the NFL, keeping him in Chicago through 2028. With the Bears settling their biggest contract priority, who are the players next in line for a payday?

According to Spotrac, ten players on Chicago’s roster have multi-year contracts coming to an end after the 2025 NFL season, the biggest of them being Joe Thuney, Kevin Byard, Andrew Billings, Jaquan Brisker and Braxton Jones.

Jaquan Brisker and Braxton Jones

Gordon was the first draft selection made by General Manager Ryan Poles after he was hired by the Bears in 2022. Two of his next three picks—Brisker and Jones—are still on the roster and walking into a major “prove it” season on the last year of their rookie contracts.

After playing 15 games in each of his first two seasons in the NFL, Brisker played in only five last year after suffering a concussion in Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers.

It was his third concussion since going pro, which likely means Chicago will want to see if Brisker can stay healthy for a full season before negotiating an extension for a guy that profiles as one of the NFL’s best box safeties when healthy.

Emphasis on “when healthy.”

Jones’ “prove it” year will need to be successful on two fronts in order for him to see himself in a Bears’ uniform beyond 2025—can he stay healthy and find a way to hold up in pass protection?

Jones has played in 40 out of a possible 51 games since entering the NFL as a fifth-round draft choice in 2022, missing time with neck, ankle and concussion injuries over the last two years.

On top of staying on the field, Ben Johnson told the world the top trait he wants from his offensive linemen is the ability to protect the quarterback from the get-go, and Jones has shown a susceptibility to not hold up against defensive ends with power off the edge.

Jones finished 2024 as Pro Football Focus’s 17th-best pass-blocking offensive tackle with an 80.8 pass-blocking grade, but he also was called for seven penalties and gave up five sacks, two QB hits and 19 QB hurries.

Eight hurries, one QB hit and one sack came against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4 and the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6. Edge rushers like Jared Verse and Josh Hines-Allen both had success at times, bull rushing Jones, putting him in the lap of Caleb Williams.

Joe Thuney

Where Brisker and Jones are Poles picks who still have something to prove before they get an extension, barring a steep decline in performance, Thuney should be the most clear-cut player on this roster to receive an extension from Chicago.

The Bears gave up a fourth-round pick to acquire Thuney in the final year of his contract, and teams don’t usually give up draft capital for one-year rentals.

This, on top of Thuney making three straight Associated Press All-Pro teams heading into this season, should make him a slam dunk for an extension in Chicago that keeps him as an anchor of the Bears’ offensive line for several years down the line, even if he is already 32.

TJ Edwards, Kevin Byard and Andrew Billings

Two players qualify for the “How do they fit into new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s scheme?” category. How successful they are in answering that question will likely decide whether they stick in Chicago or find themselves elsewhere soon.

Byard seems more in line for an extension, given he was Chicago’s most consistent safety and played all 17 games last season. He logged a career-high 130 combined tackles, seven passes defended, five tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.

The question with Byard is how much he will be used in Allen’s scheme when Gordon already appears to be the defensive coordinator’s first choice when it comes to being the Swiss Army knife used in exotic sets from the back end of the defense.

Allen could just end up using both Gordon and Byard in diverse looks an equal amount. But it’s still something to keep an eye on.

Billings was an effective pass-rush presence on the interior of Chicago’s offensive line last year—he generated 14 total pressures (one sack, two QB hits, 11 QB hurries) in eight games played—but the question is if he can find a way to be equally effective against the run.

According to PFF, Billings had a run defense grade (RDG) of 56 or lower in five of the eight games he played in 2024. His overall RDG of 50.0 last season was his worst since his rookie year with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017, among seasons where he logged at least 150 snaps against the run.

*Editor’s note: This article originally included TJ Edwards as a player in line to potentially receive a contract extension. After this article was published, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Bears have signed Edwards to a two-year, $20 million extension.