Bears GM Ryan Poles made a savvy move during the first-round of the 2026 NFL Draft that had nothing to do with the 25th overall pick
The Chicago Bears made waves during the first-round of the 2026 NFL Draft by selecting Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, but it’s not the only move general manager Ryan Poles made on Thursday.
The Chicago Bears came out of the first-round of the 2026 NFL Draft with an absolute steal after selecting Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the 26th overall pick.
However, it wasn’t the only move that Bears general manager Ryan Poles made on Thursday night to help out the team’s immediate future.
Lost in all of the commotion of the first-round frenzy, the Bears restructured two contracts to create much-needed cap space before focusing on the rest of the draft.
Bears restructure contracts for Cole Kmet and Jonah Jackson during the first-round
Chicago reworked the deals for right guard Jonah Jackson and tight end Cole Kmet, freeing up $10.375 million in cap space. Prior to those two moves, Chicago had under a million in cap space and desperately needed to make a move before being able to sign the 2026 draft class. Here’s the breakdown for both players.
With Jackson, the Bears converted $13.5 million of his salary into a bonus, reducing his cap number by $6.75 million to $12.75 million. However, that money gets pushed into 2027, raising his cap next year to $23.75 million. As Jason Fitzgerald of OTC noted, Jackson’s 2027 hit will likely be adjusted with an extension saying he plays well in 2026.
As for Kmet, the team’s longest-tenured offensive player noted earlier this week that the top decision-makers confirmed he’ll be back in 2026 during his end of season meeting. To show that, the Bears converted $7.65 million of his 2026 salary into bonus, reducing his cap number to $7.775 million. In 2027, his cap number next season is raise to $15.425 million, which will also be the final year of his contract. So, if he continues to step up alongside Colston Loveland, perhaps he’s extended as well in 2027.
2027 is shaping out to be an expensive year for the Bears
Restructuring someone was a given. I’m shocked the Bears opted to rework the deals for these specific two players considering they’ll now be due for another deal in 2027, saying they remain in the long-term plans.
Over the next 12 or so months, the Bears will already have to account for new extensions for quarterback Caleb Williams, right tackle Darnell Wright, and possibly even wide receiver Rome Odunze. Now you have to add Jackson and Kmet to the equation for 2027.
It’s going to be an expensive year for Chicago, but the team also has some massive contracts they can shed such as Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett along with more cap space flexibility to work with.