Bears make three significant moves before the 2026 season but Chicago is not gearing up for what fans might be expecting
The Chicago Bears freed roughly $17 million in cap space with three contract restructures, but general manager Ryan Poles isn’t gearing up for some kind of big splash just because he made these contract moves.
The Chicago Bears made three significant contract adjustments on Friday heading into the regular season, but it’s not quite what you think.
The Bears restructured the contracts of left guard Joe Thuney, defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, and linebacker T.J. Edwards on Friday morning, creating roughly $17 million in 2026 salary cap space.
All three players ranked among the top seven cap hits on the roster for the 2026 season. On paper, it looks like Chicago is gearing up for something big. The reality is far more practical than that.
Why the Bears needed to free up cap space before the regular season
Thuney carried the third-highest cap hit on the roster at $21.5 million, Odeyingbo sat at $20.5 million, and Edwards came in just over $10.8 million for the 2026 season. Chicago had been sitting at $12.5 million over the cap limited, and the team needed to free up a significant amount heading into the start of the regular season.
Teams generally like to keep roughly $5 million on hand for in-season spending for moves like any reinforcements they need to add during the year. That explains the $17 million figure. The Bears made this move to ensure they had enough financial flexibility before the season, not to swing for the fences on a blockbuster trade.
Freeing up that much cap space is going to catch eyes, but Chicago is not going to chase some home run addition like Maxx Crosby at the deadline. ESPN is still floating the idea that the Bears will pursue a top edge rusher. Right now, they still simply don’t have the space to absorb that kind of contract and that’s not why they did these restructures.
What the restructures could mean for Odeyingbo and Edwards in 2027
Restructuring Thuney is an easy decision. He’s a first-team All-Pro left guard under contract through 2027. Pushing money back on his deal is straightforward because he isn’t going anywhere.
The contract updates worth watching are Odeyingbo’s and Edwards’. Before this restructure, the Bears would have saved $15 million by moving on from Odeyingbo in 2027 with only $4.5 million in dead cap. If Chicago pushed money back for him, it could signal that Odeyingbo is on this roster in 2027. The Bears have been impressed with him since his return from an Achilles injury and the work he has put in during training camp. It will be exciting to finally see that come to fruition with him on the field.
The same applies to Edwards. He had no guaranteed money remaining on his deal, and the Bears would have saved $8.5 million with just over $2.3 million in dead money by cutting him next year. That doesn’t appear likely at this point. Edwards is one of the top leaders on this team, and the Bears are rewarding him by pushing his money back. He came back remarkably fast from a fractured fibula and is a reliable veteran. He and Devin Bush seem primed to be the 1-2 linebacker duo in 2027 as well.
Two players who may have been on the chopping block heading into next offseason now have a little more security, at least on the surface.
The bottom line of these restructures
The details of how each individual restructure shakes out still need to be announced. Once those numbers become public, the picture will be clearer on what the future cap implications look like for all three players.
The root of this move is simple. The Bears are not loading up for some Maxx Crosby trade or a Josh Sweat trade. This was about becoming cap compliant heading into the regular season and making sure Chicago had enough in-season money for any reinforcements Poles and the front office might need to add along the way. Simple as that.
