The 2025 NFL season has only just begun for the Chicago Bears, who are sitting at 2-2 through the first four weeks. They have the first bye week of the season — along with the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers — and it comes at a good time to allow some key injured players to heal up.

It’s too early to look ahead to the 2026 season, but there are some concerns when it comes to the salary cap. The Bears are slated to have just $2.86 million in salary cap space in 2026, where general manager Ryan Poles needs to free up cap space — be it through cuts, trades or restructures — while also adding some new faces and potentially re-signing some in-house free agents.

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Chicago has 23 players scheduled to become free agents in 2026 according to Over The Cap, including some key starters and contributors. Here’s a quick look at those players:

Bears 2026 free agents

WR Olamide Zaccheaus (UFA)

DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (UFA)

DE Dominique Robinson (UFA)

When is NFL free agency 2026?

The NFL’s new league year begins Wednesday, March 11, 2026, where free agent signings become official. But the negotiation period, where deals are made for free agents, begins Monday, March 9, 2026.

Which Bears could earn contract extensions?

The Bears have some notable free agents currently slated to hit the open market, including sagfeiteis Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, defensive tackle Andrew Billings and left tackle Braxton Jones. As for potential extensions, long snapper Scott Daly, safety Elijah Hicks, offensive lineman Theo Benedet and defensive end Daniel Hardy make sense given their affordability.

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But the big question is whether the big names, including both starting safeties in Byard and Brisker, will be brought back. Zaccheaus has been a solid addition, but Luther Burden III could step into that WR3 role. Meanwhile, Jones was just benched for Benedet at left tackle, so it’s unlikely he’ll return. But before GM Ryan Poles makes any moves, he needs to find a way to free up cap space.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 26 Bears players slated to become free agents in 2025