2 Chicago Bears Contracts That Will Age Poorly During 2026 Season

The Chicago Bears spent a lot of money last offseason but two deals in particular could be confirmed as total busts during the 2026 season.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley and Chicago Bears defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears handed out some big contracts during the 2025 offseason and at least two of them have a chance to age poorly this coming season.

Those two contracts are the ones given to defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo and defensive back Kyler Gordon, both of whom are going to be key to Chicago's defensive success in 2026.

Odeyingbo was the biggest free-agent acquisition for the Bears, with the veteran landing a three-year, $48 million contract. As for Gordon, he was extended on a three-year, $40 million deal, a contract that will begin this season.

Why Kyler Gordon's contract will age poorly

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Gordon appeared in just three games due to injury last season, and it marked yet another season in which Gordon didn't play in every game. In fact, Gordon has never played in more than 15 contests in any season.

When it comes to his hopes of playing a full season in 2026, the veteran is off to a terrible start. Gordon has been injured during the offseason program and did not take part in either OTAs or mandatory minicamp.

Making matters worse for him, head coach Ben Johnson sounds frustrated over his slot cornerback's lack of availability.

"We spoke last year and neither one of us were really happy with how it went just from a perspective of being available to get to know each other," Johnson said. "I think he only played in three games when I look back at it, and so, you know, this spring was going to be a springboard for us to get going in the right direction."

"We're still working through that," Johnson added. "We're still trying to get that availability piece going. We know he's a good player when he's out there but trust level is a huge thing for this team, for this coaching staff, for the locker room and you can only develop that trust by being available."

The injury concerns with Gordon are enough to put his contract in position to be a huge mistake, but the possibility that Gordon may have a short leash if he struggles when on the field due to the obvious trust issues Johnson and the coaching staff have is another avenue for his deal to be a bust.

Why Dayo Odeyingbo's contract will age poorly

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Chicago Bears defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Bears handing Odeyingbo a deal worth $16 million annually never made sense to begin with. After all, he was coming off a season in which he tallied just three sacks.

The concern over his contract was only made worse when the veteran had just one sack over eight games before he then tore his Achilles, ending his season early.

Not only is Odeyingbo's lack of sack production in recent years a concern, there's also the possibility he won't be himself in his first year back from the torn Achilles, which means he could struggle even more to make a dent in Chicago's pass-rush.

Based on what we've seen out of him the past two years and what we know about players coming back from his injury, Odeyingbo's contract has a better chance to be confirmed as a total failure than not in 2026.