Jan. 30, 2026, 4:45 p.m. CT
The Chicago Bears are focusing on the offseason after a successful 2025 season that included a playoff win.The NFL’s 2026 salary cap is projected to be between $301.2 million and $305.7 million.Chicago is projected to be over the salary cap by approximately $9.63 million.The team may need to restructure contracts or cut players to create cap space.
The Chicago Bears are fresh off an impressive 2025 season where they went from worst to first with an 11-6 record, winning the NFC North and earning the franchise’s first playoff win in 15 years. Simply put, the Bears exceeded expectations in head coach Ben Johnson’s first season.
Now, the focus shifts to the offseason, where general manager Ryan Poles and Johnson will look to bolster the roster. After overhauling the offense last season, in the trenches with the offensive line and with skill position players, the defense will likely be the focal point. The defensive line and safety are the biggest needs at this point, and several in-house free agents could likely be brought back.
But Poles has some work to do with the salary cap this offseason before free agency kicks off in March. Now, the NFL has projected its salary cap for the 2026 season, and it’s another significant increase. So how does that impact the Bears?
The NFL’s 2026 salary cap is projected to be between $301.2 million and $305.7 million, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. That’s an estimated increase of more than $20 million from the 2025 salary cap ($279.2 million) and nearly $100 million in additional space since the 2022 salary cap ($208.2 million).
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Over the Cap has projected the salary cap to be within the midway range of the projections ($301.2-305.7 million) at $303.5 million, which currently has the Bears projected to be $9.63 million over the salary cap. Regardless of the finalized salary cap, Chicago will be over the cap, so Poles has some work to do when it comes to restructuring contracts and making difficult decisions regarding cuts to some players with big cap hits.
Who are some potential Bears salary cap casualties?
The Bears have several candidates for contract restructures, trades and cuts. As for potential cap casualties, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds ($17.43 million cap hit), tight end Cole Kmet ($11.6 million cap hit) and running back D’Andre Swift ($8.8 million cap hit). That’s not to say Chicago will get rid of all or any of those players, but there are outs for all three that would free up significant cap space while not costing too much in dead money. Of the three, Edmunds appears to be the most likely, especially after D’Marco Jackson’s small breakout year.
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