The Chicago Bears finished the 2025 NFL season 11-6 and won the NFC North division title. They also knocked their hated rivals, the Green Bay Packers out of the postseason before falling to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round. Overall, it was a very successful season.
Of course, new head coach Ben Johnson deserves a great deal of credit for the quick turnaround in Chicago. He revamped the offense and brought in a bright new coaching staff that helped players reach new heights.
Among these was defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, whose 2025 Bears defense led the NFL in takeaways. However, they also finished near the bottom of the league in passing yards and points allowed.
The Chicago Bears are urged to trade linebacker TJ Edwards ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft
Chicago has already made some changes on defense by signing safety Coby Bryant to replace Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, both of whom signed elsewhere in free agency.
Over the course of the off-season, Chicago has taken measures to cut salary and set themselves up to be able to extend players, sign other free agents, and sign their 2026 NFL Draft class.
Jerry Markarian of Sports Illustrated believes that the Bears should continue to do so by trading, not cutting, linebacker TJ Edwards:
“With that said, they could trade him and save $6.2 million against the cap. Trading him with a post-June 1st designation would save closer to $8 million. They wouldn’t get much (at all, actually), but a deal in the vein of a late-round pick swap would make a lot of sense to get his contract off the books and allow them to get under the cap to sign their rookie class.
“This year’s draft class would provide Chicago with a unique opportunity to replace him with someone who would be a much better fit for the style of defense they want to have. There are a lot of fast and physical ‘backers who will hear their name called on day two.”
Chicago cannot release Edwards to save money. He has a $12 million dead cap hit, but just a $10.6 million cap hit if he remains on the team. The only way they can move on from him and save money is by trading him.
Markarian argues that Edwards, who is coming off a major leg injury, may not be the speedy linebacker that the Bears need to improve as a defensive unit. He suggests that a late pick swap with another team in a trade for Edwards would make sense.
And it might. Chicago would save money and open up more opportunities for younger players. On the other hand, though, they would lose an important locker room voice.
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