NFL Free Agency: Bears Linked to Saints $33M Free-Agent Cornerback

New Orleans might have to pay up if they want to keep one of their young stars

Dec 21, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (1) reacts to making a tackle against New York Jets quarterback Brady Cook (not pictured) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The legal negotiation window for NFL Free Agency opens at 12 PM on Monday, March 8. Alontae Taylor, the New Orleans Saints’ 2022 second-round pick, is widely expected to attract significant interest from teams.

Taylor, the 27-year-old cornerback, has a projected market value of a three-year deal worth just less than $33.5 million, according to salary cap website Spotrac. For the Saints, a team that has found themselves at the bottom of the league in available salary cap space over the past couple of years, a deal that lucrative might not be something they'd be able to match.

Many teams have been linked to Taylor, including the Dallas Cowboys. It also seems that the Chicago Bears could be in the mix to land the young playmaker, USA Today's Tyler Dragon wrote in an article predicting where the top 25 free agents will end up.

Chicago could make a run at signing Alontae Taylor

Jun 10, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (1) looks on during minicamp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

"Taylor has the versatility to play in the slot or outside corner," Dragon wrote. "His seven career sacks rank first in Saints history for sacks by a cornerback. The Bears ranked 29th in total defense, the worst among all playoff teams in 2025."

Chicago would even make sense for Taylor now that news broke of center Drew Dalman informing the team that he plans to retire at just 27. Dalman's retirement opens up over $10 million in available cap space for the Bears, who were projected to have just a few million in available spending money.

Taylor played in 94% of the team's snaps in 2025, posting 83 total tackles and a career-high two interceptions on a defense that ranked 18th in the NFL with just 10 interceptions. He has been a consistent contributor for New Orleans since his rookie year, when he saw the field in just 13 games.

The pending free agent posted a cryptic tweet to X on Sunday afternoon, one that fans believe could be about his upcoming free agency.

If only yall knew what I knew haha 😂 can’t believe everything you read

— Alontae Taylor (@taeetaylor) March 1, 2026

No matter what happens with Taylor, the Saints are comfortable with their young cornerbacks, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley. If Taylor returns on a new contract, New Orleans will be more than happy to have him back. If he doesn't, the team's front office will likely focus on signing a low-cost free-agent cornerback or drafting one in the 2026 NFL Draft.