Bear Digest

Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker deal with reality of expiring contracts

The entire group of Bears safeties will be free agents in March without new contracts and starters Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard hope to finish what they've started.
Gene Chamberlain|
Bears safety Jaquan Brisker gets the crowd pumped up after a big play made during the playoffs.
Bears safety Jaquan Brisker gets the crowd pumped up after a big play made during the playoffs. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Bears have no safeties under contract for next year but as far as Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker are concerned, they’d like to be back starting again in 2026.

As they cleaned out lockers Monday, both said it’s just going to take the commitment from GM Ryan Poles and coach Ben Johnson to get them back in the lineup as both will be unrestricted free agents, just like reserves Jonathan Owens and Elijah Hicks.

“We’ll see. I don’t have an answer for you right now,” was Brisker’s answer about returning. “I honestly didn’t talk to anyone (with the Bears) yet, so I’m not going to sit here and tell you anything. I’m being honest.” 

With Brisker, the issue with retention had always been his health. Three concussion in his first three seasons made it this way but he got through this year unscathed and felt this showed something about him.

“I feel like I did, I feel like I showed them every single practice, even in the years prior, I feel like I showed what I could do when I was healthy,” Brisker said. “This last season, the last game, that’s my last one. I went out with a bang.”

He definitely did this with a team-high 14 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and two pass defenses against the Rams. The blitzing of Brisker and slot cornerback Kyler Gordon had the Rams offense off balance most of the second half. His 14 tackles in the game were twice as many as any other Bears defender.

“It meant a lot to finally complete a year this year after all the hard work I’ve been through, what I’ve been through, all the hard work I’ve put in, and to see it finally finish a year this year and how everything went—we made it to the playoffs and things like that—had a great year, it was amazing and I thank God for that,” Brisker said.

Byard is going to be 33 next season and the team will no doubt weigh this in any contract offers.

“I would love to be back here,” Byard said.  “You know, when (Ryan) Poles came and got me last year, I had had a tough couple years, you know, just personally, but then obviously, just with getting traded and all that stuff and coming here, I wanted to be able to prove that I was still that guy that I’ve always been my career. And I think I've done that the past couple years.

“Obviously, I just had to meet with Ben (Johnson) and Poles and all that good stuff, and I definitely think there's mutual interest for me to be back. But, at the end of the day, I truly don't have any real control over it.”

Byard pointed out the inevitable change success brings in the NFL, and at the same time pushed to elevate his status in any talks,.

“I think with the success that we all had this season as a team, I think a lot of guys on this team are going to be coveted around this league, honestly,” Byard said.  “And I think the same way the organization is always going to do what's best for the team, I think I owe that to my family as well, even though, like I said, I think my first option would be to come back here in Chicago and kind of finish what we got started this year.”

Byard made a league-high seven interceptions and All-Pro for the third time, which says something for his ability in and of itself. His preference is to stay because he has found a real home.

“Because, like I said, I just enjoy this locker room and I enjoy this team, I enjoy being the leader, I enjoy being able to break the huddles down before the games, you know what I'm saying?” he said.  “This is a lot of fun, this is who I am. So, I really enjoyed this season and I would love to be back.”

For Byard the main thing is providing for his family but also there coming back to finish what he thinks they’ve started.

“I want to win,” he said. “I want to win. You know, this has always been, since I came into this league, obviously, everybody has different reasons why they do this thing. For me, it's always been about legacy. I want to be able to win.

“I want to be able to play at a higher level and all that good stuff, but what motivates me and what drives that is to want to win and try to be the best person, to be the best player, leader, teammate that I could possibly be for this organization or any organization. So that's who I am. I want to be able to win. I want to be on a team that wants to win."

When the 2018 Bears won the division, their defense was never the same the next year even with Khalil Mack returning. One major reason was they had to make a choice at safety between keeping Eddie Jackson and Adrian Amos. They kept Jackson, and then Amos went on to haunt them in Green Bay.

The Bears definitely can help themselves by avoiding something like this in 2026.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.