The NFL’s new league year arrived Wednesday, a milestone moment that allowed the Chicago Bears to officially lock in business that had already been completed. Yes, the Bears formally announced trades with the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots, sealing DJ Moore’s exit and Garrett Bradbury’s arrival without any … ahem … last-minute trade hiccups.
The team also continued its activity in the free-agency flea market, now up to six signings of new players. For those wanting a massive splash, that hasn’t quite materialized with safety Coby Bryant the most notable addition to date. Still, the Bears have added to their defense and made efforts to fortify their depth.
With a few more waves of free agency ahead, here’s the latest.
Something special
Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower should be walking through Halas Hall with extra bounce this week. The Bears brought back last season’s leading special teams tackler, Daniel Hardy, over the weekend and later worked to complete a one-year extension with core special teamer Elijah Hicks.
Cam Lewis, meanwhile, arrives from Buffalo on a two-year contract that positions him to be a key contributor on special teams while also providing quality depth and flexibility to the defensive backfield.
Most significantly, Kalif Raymond brings his top-tier return specialist pedigree to town. A second-team All-Pro in 2022 and 2024, Raymond averaged more than 13 yards per punt return in both seasons and has a career average of 10.4 yards, showcasing a fearless, aggressive style.
Offensively, he’s also a fun addition to the receiving corps, a tone-setting worker who should be a positive influence on younger teammates Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. Raymond played for both head coach Ben Johnson and receivers coach Anwtaan Randle El in Detroit. Both coaches remain big fans.
In Johnson’s three seasons as Lions play caller, Raymond totaled 99 catches, 1,320 yards and three touchdowns and should factor in the Bears’ offensive plans.
Exit signs
Safety Kevin Byard and cornerback Nahshon Wright, who combined for 12 of the Bears’ NFL-leading 23 interceptions last season, have both landed in the AFC East this week, signing one-year deals with the Patriots and Jets, respectively.
Color me a bit surprised at the smaller size of each deal, with Byard agreeing to a $9 million contract to reunite with Mike Vrabel in New England, while Wright took $5 million to join a Jets defense that had zero interceptions last season.
In some circles, Wright still registers as a bit of an unknown, even coming off a career season that included Pro Bowl honors. He will be challenged to show consistency in 2026.
Byard, though, collected All-Pro honors for the third time in his career last season and had at least four interceptions for the sixth time, finishing the year with a league-high seven. At age 32 and headed for his 11th season, the standout safety has played in 164 consecutive regular-season games plus 10 more in the playoffs. He was also a Bears captain for two seasons and a valued locker-room leader.
When general manager Ryan Poles said after the season and again at the NFL combine that he hoped to make Byard’s return a priority, the presumption was that the Bears would work hard to present a deal that would make the veteran safety happy. Instead, the chatter is that the Bears showed little bend with the preferred numbers they presented. Byard, who made it clear in January he wanted to continue his career with a championship-contending team, quickly pivoted and found a fair deal with a team that played in the Super Bowl last month.
He now joins forces with Vrabel, who coached him in Tennessee for six seasons (2018-2023).
Maxx mania
Is there still a possibility the Bears could bargain with the Las Vegas Raiders for star pass rusher Maxx Crosby, whose trade to Baltimore was rescinded Tuesday in the week’s most startling news? Sure. Perhaps.
The Ravens originally agreed to send two first-round picks to the Raiders for Crosby but stunningly pulled out of that deal, presumably over concerns about the meniscus surgery Crosby had after last season. (Baltimore quickly moved in a new direction with a four-year, $112 million deal for Trey Hendrickson that didn’t cost any draft capital.)
The Raiders, who have been on a free-agency spending spree since the original trade agreement for Crosby, could ultimately discount the price. Or they may opt to keep Crosby in their 2026 plans if no acceptable new trade offer materializes.
Despite rampant rumor and speculation, it’s been difficult to pin down the Bears’ perspective on the situation. But with significant salary-cap constraints plus a deep draft class of edge rushers, they may be better suited exploring alternative roads to improving their pass rush.
Second thoughts
The book is now complete on the Bears’ 2022 draft class in one respect. Three players from that 11-man draft class earned second contracts with the organization after this week’s one-year extensions given to Hicks and left tackle Braxton Jones.
(Kyler Gordon, the headliner of that class, grabbed a three-year extension last offseason.)
That .273 batting average might not seem impressive — and it’s just .091 for multiyear second contracts. But in comparison to previous Bears classes, Poles’ first jump into the draft pool must be framed with proper context, with Jones and Hicks registering as draft hits.
YEARCLASS SIZESECOND CONTRACTSMULTI-YEAR SECOND CONTRACTS
2022
11
3
Kyler Gordon
2021
7
0
N/A
2020
7
2
Cole Kmet, Jaylon Johnson
2019
5
0
N/A
2018
7
0
N/A
2017
5
2
Eddie Jackson, Tarik Cohen*
2016
9
3
Cody Whitehair, DeAndre Houston-Carson
2015
6
1
Eddie Goldman
2014
8
3
Kyle Fuller, Charles Leno
2013
6
1
Kyle Long
2012
6
1**
N/A
* — Cohen never played on a second contract after suffering a career-derailing knee injury
** — Franchise tag season in 2016 for Alshon JefferyOdds and ends
• It will be interesting to learn the Bears’ vision for veteran offensive tackle Jedrick Wills, a former top-10 pick out of Alabama who will try to revive his career on a one-year prove-it deal and will have an opportunity to compete for the starting left tackle job. Wills made 57 starts over his first five seasons in Cleveland but last played in Week 9 of 2024, suffering a season-ending medial collateral ligament tear. That injury required multiple surgeries and ultimately kept Wills out of the entire 2025 season.
• Defensive lineman Kentavius Street should figure into defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s line rotation, joining his fifth team in his 10th season after previous stops with the 49ers, Saints, Eagles and Falcons.
• Nose tackle Andrew Billings, whose contract with the Bears expired Wednesday, was back in town to be honored at a luncheon as the organization’s Ed Block Courage Award winner. Billings, 31, spent three seasons in Chicago but is now an unrestricted free agent.