Which Chicago Bears player is in line for a contract extension after Kyler Gordon?

While most contract business for the Chicago Bears has been handled by now, there are a handful of players who GM Ryan Poles should be signing to contract extensions soon.

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Late Sunday evening, ESPN's Adam Schefter broke the news that the Chicago Bears and cornerback Kyler Gordon had agreed to a new contract worth $40 million over three years. This is a great deal for everyone involved. Gordon gets the financial security he's earned, and GM Ryan Poles keeps the core of his elite secondary intact at least through 2027, when Jaylon Johnson's contract is up.

With that business handled, Bears fans now have to wonder if another exciting extension is coming down the pipeline. There's one that seems like a no-brainer, and a few more that could be in the works right now, depending on how Poles himself views these players.

1. Joe Thuney

There's no way that Poles traded for Thuney, who is entering the last year of his contract, without intending to sign him to an extension. The future Hall of Fame left guard is too valuable on the field to have him enter 2025 with doubts about his future, and extending him could potentially give the Bears, who are up against the salary cap, a bit more wiggle room for 2025.

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2. Jaquan Brisker

Poles re-signed his first selection as general manager of the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Does that mean his second selection is also nearing an extension? This one is tougher to call than the Gordon deal. Brisker is a solid contributor but there's injury concerns. He's missed multiple games due to concussions in every year of his career thus far.

Judging strictly off his on-field resume, he's definitely earned an extension, but a scary injury history could complicate that.

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3. Kevin Byard III

Byard joined the Bears in free agency in 2024, signing a meager 2-year, $15 million deal. He finished the season with an impressive 72.8 grade from Pro Football Focus, good for 32nd out of all safeties. Despite turning 32-years-old soon, he's proven to have plenty left in the tank.

He may not be an elite safety, but he's a dependable, veteran leader on the defense. Given the uncertainty in the rest of the safety room, it would be wise for Poles to lock him in to an additional 2-year contract.

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4. Braxton Jones

Many Bears fans will disagree with this, given his late-season injury and Chicago's likelihood of drafting a left tackle next week, but Jones has earned a contract extension. It doesn't have to reset the market, and it can be laced with incentives in case he continues to miss games with injuries, but Jones has been a lockdown left tackle ever since he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Jones finished 2024 with a 77.4 grade from PFF, 20th best out of all offensive tackles in the NFL, and that includes an 80.8 grade specifically in pass protection.

Most importantly, re-signing Jones shouldn't preclude the Bears from spending a top draft pick on the O-line, if that's what they want to do. Teams like the Eagles and Lions have proven that you can't have enough quality offensive linemen in the modern NFL.

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