Explaining the Chicago Bears Salary Cap Situation After Mandatory Minicamp

The Chicago Bears have very little wiggle room when it comes to cap space ahead of training camp.

Ryan Poles, general manager of the Chicago Bears. | David Banks-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears have a few positions they could add to before training camp, but do they actually have the funds to do anything even semi-significant?

On the surface, they do. According to Over The Cap, the Bears are sitting with $8.2 million in cap space after mandatory minicamp, which is the fifth-lowest amount in the NFL.

However, we can't forget that teams need cap space to operate during the regular season, so that has to be factored in. Teams usually allot about $5 to $10 million, give or take a few.

The Bears can still opt for some simple restructures, so there's an avenue to create more cap space if need be.

The Bears' current cap space number includes the cap hits of six of seven Bears 2026 draft picks. Third-round pick and tight end Sam Roush is Chicago's only unsigned draft pick.

Why is Sam Roush still unsigned?

Chicago Bears tight end Sam Roush. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

As Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane explained, it likely has to do with early third-round picks seeking contract provisions that players drafted late in the second round get.

The same can be said for early fourth-rounders wanting late third-round provisions.

“A lot of years it was the third round took forever,” Beane revealed. “The union is constantly trying to push down everything from the second round into the third round, and then the third round to make the fourth round better."

Bears dead money

Former Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Bears have a total of $20.1 million in dead money on their books and DJ Moore accounts for three-fifths of that at $12 million.

Drew Dalman accounts for the second-biggest dead-cap hit at $4 million after his retirement and Tremaine Edmunds, who was cut earlier this offseason, rounds out the top three at $2.4 million.

Here's the full list:

DJ Moore: $12 million
Drew Dalman: $4 million
Tremaine Edmunds: $2.4 million
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka: $540,000
Amen Ogbongbemiga: $375,000
Zacch Pickens: $297,961
Zah Frazier: $240,162
Tyler Scott: $165,862

Bears top-10 cap hits for 2026

Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat. | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

The Bears have four players who exceed a $20 million cap hit this year and fans will be frustrated to know that Dayo Odeyingbo is one of them after his disappointing first year in Chicago.

Along with Odeyingbo, Montez Sweat, Jaylon Johnson and Joe Thuney are also north of $20 million for this coming season.

The top-10 cap hits for 2026 are as follows:

1. Montez Sweat: $25.08 million
2. Jaylon Johnson: $24.5 million
3. Joe Thuney: $21.5 million
4. Dayo Odeyingbo: $20.5 million
5. Grady Jarrett: $18.9 million?
6. Kyler Gordon: $12.9 million
7. Jonah Jackson: $12.7 million
8. T.J. Edwards: $10.8 million
9. Caleb Williams: $10.7 million
10. D'Andre Swift: $8.8 million

Enjoy that reasonable cap hit for Caleb Williams for a little while longer because it's going to be a lot higher in a few years after Williams inevitably secures a long-term deal.