Bears Free Agent Profile: Jaquan Brisker set himself up for a nice payday that Chicago might not be able to afford anymore
Jaquan Brisker is going to have a strong market once free agency opens.
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 22 players set to become unrestricted free agents.
Not every player will be able to return and some are expected to be out of the Bears’ price range entirely. One position that is set to be completely drained is the safety position with every safety in Chicago set to hit the open market, including a young standout that’s earned his money.
S Jaquan Brisker
Position: Strong safety
Age for 2026 season: 27
Incoming NFL year: 5
Previous AAV: $1.84 million
2026 Snap %: 100%
Jaquan Brisker was the second draft pick of the Ryan Poles era, drafted nine picks after Bears slot cornerback Kyler Gordon. Going into the 2025 season, the Bears opted to extend Gordon’s contract making him one of the highest-paid nickel defenders in the league and opted against paying Brisker.
Injuries played a big role in that decision. Brisker was coming off a season in which he missed 12 games due to a concussion, his third such injury of his NFL career. The Bears wanted to see what kind of impact he could bring in a full healthy season before committing to him long-term.
Brisker went on to play all 17 games and 100 percent of the defensive snaps. He totaled 93 tackles, eight pass deflections, one interception, 1.0 sack, and three quarterback hits. His best game came in the NFC Divisional Round loss after leading the team with 14 tackles and two pass deflections. It was the final game of his rookie contract and it was a strong note to end on.
Contract History and Projection
During last year’s free agent cycle, four safeties cashed in on sizable contracts after playing out their rookie contracts in Tre’von Moehrig, Jevon Holland, Camryn Bynum, and Talanoa Hufanga. Here’s a look at the deals those four players signed and how many games they played in their first four years:
- Moehrig: three-year, $51 million (66 games played)
- Holland: three-year, $45.3 million (60 games played)
- Bynum: four-year, $60 million (65 games played)
- Hufanga: three-year, $39 million (49 games played)
Brisker, for context, played 52 games for the Bears during his first four seasons. So, a safe market range would be between $13-14 million per year on his second contract, which would place him just outside the Top-10 in annual value at his position. That would be higher than Spotrac’s current projection of $10 million per year.
Prediction
I fully expect Brisker to get close to that $14 million per year mark on the open market. He brings a lot of energy to the defense and plays a style of game that more teams are looking to add to their unit based on the interest Moehrig and Hufanga received last offseason. Teams are eager to add a physical box safety that can seemingly do it all.
If that’s indeed the market, Brisker will be priced out of Chicago’s range. The franchise tag is out of the Bears range as it’s projected to be over $20 million for a safety and even the transition tag is projected to be over $16 million, so the Bears can’t do a similar approach that the New England Patriots did with Kyle Dugger after playing out his rookie contract. All signs point toward Brisker hitting the market and landing a sizable deal he’s earned with another team.
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