Bear Digest

Why the Bears' Salary Cap Situation isn't Nearly as Bad as it Seems

Despite already being over the 2026 salary cap, the Bears aren't in any real trouble.
Pete Martuneac|
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For the last three years of Ryan Poles' tenure as general manager of the Chicago Bears, the team was flush with cash at the start of free agency, often ranking at the top of the league for salary cap space. That's set to change as the Chicago Bears' 2025 offseason additions have pushed the Bears into the red for 2026. According to OverTheCap's salary cap space rankings, the Bears are currently $5.3 million over the salary cap.

This may be a problem, but it's a good problem. Generally speaking, the teams with the most salary cap space are the ones who need the most help, and the Bears, for the first time in years, are only in need of a few roster tweaks as opposed to wholesale changes. However, negative salary cap space is still negative, and the Bears will need to make some moves to get back in the black.

Most fans hear that and assume that cuts will have to be made, but that's not necessarily the case. Cutting players on expensive contracts is a quick way to free up money, especially if the player isn't performing up to expectations, but far from the only way. General managers can also do what's called 'simple restructuring' of existing contracts.

A simple restructuring is pretty straightforward. It converts salary payments for the current season into prorated bonuses, spread across the remaining years of the contract. In so doing, an NFL team can not only free up salary cap space, but they are also not creating future problems by adding 'void years' to bad contracts.

That's where we have good news for the Bears. According to Jason Fitzgerald, an NFL salary cap and contract analyst, the Bears could free up $85.9 million in salary cap space in 2026 just by doing simple restructures of existing contracts. That's the 7th highest figure in the league.

Ryan Poles deserves credit for his careful financial maneuvering

As I've been saying for the past few months, it's time for Bears fans to reevaluate how they view general manager Ryan Poles. He's made mistakes, and he's even made some huge mistakes, but his vision for this team finally began to bear fruit in 2025, and he deserves credit for putting this team and coaching staff together. The fact that he's assembled a team that was one completed pass away from the NFC Championship game and still has the Bears in a healthy salary cap situation is just another feather in his cap.

This isn't to say that nobody on the current roster should be cut. There are a couple of contracts that don't look so good anymore, and these players are potential cut candidates. Cole Kmet already sounds resigned to such a fate given his large (for a tight end) contract and Colston Loveland's breakout rookie season. But as I've said before, I think cutting Cole Kmet would be a big mistake, especially when nearly $100 million worth of cap space can be created by restructuring contracts.

The Bottom Line

While I don't expect Poles to pull every simple restructuring lever at his disposal, he will be forced to do so for at least a handful of contracts. The Bears need the money to pay for a draft class, bring back a couple of key veterans, and also make some free agency acquisitions or trades. I would expect Poles to shoot for having approximately $40 million of cap space when free agency begins.

But don't get carried away once the cap clearing begins, Bears fans. While the Maxx Crosby trade talk has already begun, there's almost no shot it happens. That's just not how Ryan Poles operates, and it's worked out pretty well for him so far.

Ryan Pole
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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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