Bears Free Agent Profile: Case Keenum was the perfect mentor for Caleb Williams and could be even more important for the Bears in 2026

The veteran quarterback was an invaluable resource in the Chicago Bears locker room.

Kole Noble — Chicago Bears News Writer
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Oct 19, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Case Keenum (11) practices against the New Orleans Saints before the game at Soldier Field.
Chicago Bears quarterback Case Keenum (11) practices against the New Orleans Saints before the game at Soldier Field. Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

The NFL free agency window is getting closer and closer and the Chicago Bears are set to be an exciting team to watch when the madness begins. Before it gets to that point, the Bears have to first weigh the pros and cons of re-signing the players set to become free agents.

Not every player will be able to return and some are expected to be out of the Bears’ price range entirely. Some players were critical pieces to the locker room despite not playing a single snap during the regular season. Backups in this league never get the respect they deserve and a backup QB can quickly become the most important player on the team, so it’s worth having a good one.

Case Keenum

Position: QB
Age for 2026 season: 38
Incoming NFL year: 13
Previous AAV: $2,250,000
2025 snap percentage: 0%

Case Keenum started his NFL career as an undrafted free agent but became the ultimate underdog story, who’s now over a decade into his professional career. Keenum’s made 66 regular season starts throughout his career playing with the Texans, Rams, Vikings, Broncos, Commanders, Browns, Bills and most recently spending time with the Bears.

Although he was a journey man quarterback throughout the majority of his career, Keenum has banked valuable experience across various organizations at all different stages. His defining moment came in 2017 when he connected with Stefon Diggs for the walk-off touchdown in the NFC Divisional Round with the Vikings, a play now famously known as the “Minneapolis Miracle.”

At this stage of his career, Keenum has welcomed the mentor role after spending the last three seasons working with young, rising quarterbacks in Josh Allen, C.J. Stroud and Caleb Williams. Not having an experienced quarterback to teach Williams was a major mistake made by the Bears in 2024 and the new coaching staff quickly corrected that by bringing Keenum in on a one-year deal.

Keenum’s voice on the sidelines and during the week was extremely valuable throughout Williams’ second season but Keenum still showed in training camp and the preseason that he can still spin the ball at a high level if he needed to. It’s hard to find a more qualified option as a QB2 than him.

Contract History and Projection

The veteran QB market in free agency isn’t usually straightforward and depends on the team’s quarterback situation. If the team needs a veteran stopgap to start a couple games, usually you see that kind of quarterback get more than if he’s just an experienced backup behind an established starter. Let’s take a look at some of the veteran QB deals signed last offseason.

  • Joshua Dobbs – two-year $8 million
  • Marcus Mariota – one-year $8 million
  • Joe Flacco – one-year $4.25 million
  • Cooper Rush – two-year $6.2 million

Clearly, the Bears got a helluva deal on Keenum after signing him to a one-year, $2.25 million deal. Granted, Keenum was technically the QB3 behind Williams and Tyson Bagent, still it was very good value for the experience Keenum brought to the building. But, if Keenum is looking for a true backup role in free agency, it’s likely he’d sign a deal closer to $4 million per year this offseason.

Prediction

Ultimately, it’s up to Keenum to see what he wants to do next. He’s had a fantastic career and just turned 38-years-old in February. If he wants to keep lacing up the cleats, teams will be interested, including just running it back with the Bears. Keeping Keenum in Chicago would be even more important if the Bears indeed trade Bagent in the coming days to a QB-needy team. If that’s the case, paying Keenum true backup money would be well worth it while bringing in a rookie to develop.

Previous Free Agent Profiles

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