At the end of a memorable 2025 season, both Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson knew what waited for them in the upcoming offseason.

They’d have to make some tough decisions.

“There’s some challenges and some big decisions we got to make, but I’m excited for that,” Poles said at his end-of-season press conference in January. “Usually that means you’re in a good position and you’re having success, and the more success you have, the more challenges and hard decisions you got to make, and those will be critical for us to sustain it.”

Some of those challenges will involve the salary cap. Not only do the Bears need to find a way to get under the cap, but they’ll also need to find ways to create enough space to supplement other parts of the roster.

Chicago entered the offseason in the bottom 10 in terms of cap space. Both Over The Cap and Spotrac list the Bears roughly $9.5 million to $10.5 million over the cap.

That will lead to those tough roster decisions. There are some veteran players with higher salaries whom the Bears might want to release before free agency negotiating can begin March 9.

Here are a few players who the Bears could release in the coming weeks to get under the cap.

Tremaine Edmunds

A quick look through the Bears’ top salaries shows there are some likely candidates to clear up some salary cap space. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds sticks out amongst the group.

Edmunds has the eighth-highest cap hit at nearly $17.5 million. He has a nearly $2.5 million dead cap hit, so releasing Edmunds before June 1 would save $15 million in the Bears’ cap space, according to Over The Cap.

Releasing Edmunds would be a tough move for Poles. Signing Edmunds and linebacker T.J. Edwards in 2023 were Poles’ first big free agent moves as Bears general manager. Edmunds also played well at 27 last year when he moved to the weakside linebacker spot. He had four interceptions in his first 10 games before an injury sidelined him for four games and slowed him down the rest of the year.

But releasing Edmunds might make the most financial sense. Chicago could re-sign D’Marco Jackson at a lower cost, or the Bears could use one their early draft picks to bring in Edmunds’ replacement.

DJ Moore

Wide receiver DJ Moore has become the topic for many Bears fans this offseason.

The first reason why is because many believe he didn’t do enough to stop an overtime interception against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC divisional round. But most are focused on the extension that Moore is set to begin next season. Moore will be the Bears’ most-expensive player next year as he’s set to have a $28.5 million cap hit.

The concern with Moore isn’t that he’s not a productive player. Moore battled through various injuries and played in every game last season, catching 50 passes for 682 yards and six touchdowns, including two more in the playoffs.

But wide receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III and tight end Colston Loveland all jumped ahead of Moore in terms of target priority. Moore’s extension might take up too much of the cap for what his role is expected to be.

Getting rid of that salary wouldn’t be easy, though. Moore has a roughly $35.5 million dead cap hit if he’s cut before June 1, which would actually cost the Bears nearly $7 million. He’d have a nearly $27.5 million dead cap hit if he was cut after June 1, roughly $1 million in savings.

Trading Moore would save more money. A trade involving Moore before June 1 would have a $12 million dead cap hit while a trade after would have a $4 million dead cap hit. But finding a team who would want to take on Moore’s contract would be easier said than done.

Moore could also be a candidate to restructure his deal. It might seem funny since Moore hasn’t officially started his extension. But if both sides want to stay together, it might be the move that needs to happen.

Cole Kmet

Tight end Cole Kmet is another higher-earning veteran on the roster who could become a cap causality after taking a lesser role last season.

Poles surprised many when he selected Loveland with the No. 10 overall pick last year. Loveland became quarterback Caleb Williams’ go-to target while Kmet stepped back into a role as a dependable blocker. He caught 30 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season and caught the unforgettable game-tying touchdown Rams.

Although Kmet is an important part of the Bears roster, his salary might be too high for his role. Kmet is set to have an $11.6 million cap hit, the 11th-highest on the roster. He’ll have a $3.2 million dead cap hit and a $8.4 million cap savings if he’s cut before June 1 and a $1.6 million cap hit and $10 million savings if he’s cut after June 1.

Johnson and Poles will need to decide whether those savings are worth it. The Bears’ two tight end sets played a major role in the offense’s success last season. They’ll need to decide whether they can fit someone else with Loveland and have the same success.

D’Andre Swift

A year after rumors swirled all offseason about whether running back D’Andre Swift would be a part Johnson’s roster, Swift will once again likely deal with more rumors this offseason.

Swift put together a career year under Johnson behind a revamped offensive line. He rushed for a career-high 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns. Swift helped the Bears finish with the third-best running attack in the NFL last season.

But Swift will enter the final year of his contract. He’ll have the 14th-highest cap hit at roughly $8.8 million. Swift would have a $1.3 million dead cap hit if he was cut before June 1, leading to a roughly $7.5 million saving.

The Bears will need to decide whether they think they can replace Swift’s production with Kyle Monangai or someone in the draft. If they do, Swift’s savings might be worth it to them.

Restructures

Another key strategy most teams use to manage the cap is restructuring deals. Teams can convert a player’s base salary into a signing bonus down the road, which frees up space in this year’s cap.

The Bears could approach any of the players mentioned above about a potential restructure. But Moore would make the most sense given how much he’s set to make compared to the others.

Defensive end Montez Sweat has the second-highest hit at $25 million while cornerback Jaylon Johnson ($24.5 million), left guard Joe Thuney ($21.5 million), defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo ($20.5 million), right guard Jonah Jackson ($19.5 million) and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett ($19 million) round out the top seven. Any of those players could be candidates to restructure their deals and free up some space to help the rest of the team.