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Bears general manager Ryan Poles.
The Chicago Bears will not have many veteran contracts on their books for the 2025 offseason worth cutting for salary-cap relief, but tight end Gerald Everett could be the lone exception after a dud of a first season in the NFC North.
The Bears signed Everett to a two-year, $12 million contract this past spring in 2024 NFL free agency, expecting he would give them a reliable second option at tight end alongside starter Cole Kmet and add another wrinkle to Shane Waldron’s new offense. Chicago even committed to him early on, playing him a season-high 34 snaps in Week 1.
Gradually, though, Everett’s usage has declined as he has faded into the background of the Bears’ disastrous season. He caught just seven passes for 30 yards through the first eight games for the Bears but has not received a passing target since Week 8. His snap count has also sunk into the single digits in the four games since Chicago fired Waldron.
While it is possible the Bears feel their next head coach and offensive coordinator might be able to get more out of Everett in 2025, they also likely recognize they are paying him too much to offer their offense so little value. And with Everett’s contract easy to cut, analysts such as Windy City Gridiron’s Jacob Infante believe his days are numbered.
“I don’t doubt that he can still be an effective TE2 in the NFL, but the Bears can find similar production for that niche role for much cheaper,” Infante wrote in his 2025 offseason mock that projected Everett will be their only significant veteran roster cut.
Bears Can Save $5.5 Million Cutting Gerald Everett
At this point, Everett probably cannot do enough to save his job with the Bears.
The Bears have just four games left to play in the 2024 regular season and will likely miss the NFL playoffs for a fourth consecutive season with a 4-9 record heading into Week 15, leaving little room for a 30-year-old veteran like Everett to change his fate. Even if Chicago found a more meaningful role for him on offense, it is doubtful that another 10 to 20 receptions would improve his case for sticking around in 2025.
Fortunately, the Bears can easily untangle from Everett in the offseason. While he will carry a cap charge of $6.5 million next season without changes to his contract, the Bears can turn $5.5 million of that money into additional cap space if they release him. The move would also incur a dead-cap charge of just $1 million, making it a no-brainer.
The only other player who would make sense as a cap causality for the Bears is veteran defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker, who will enter the final year of the three-year, $21 million contract he signed with the Bears in 2023 free agency. The Bears can cut him in the offseason for $5.25 million in cap savings, putting him on par with an Everett cut in terms of value — although, Walker has contributed for more than Everett in 2024.
Will Bears Replace Gerald Everett in 2025 NFL Draft?
The Bears will have options if they want to sign another tight end to their roster during 2025 free agency. With Kmet under contract through the 2027 season, they do not need to spend a ton of money on the position, but their next head coach — or offensive coordinator, if they hired a defensive head coach — may want a competent No. 2 option.
Alternatively, though, the Bears could find a replacement for Everett in the 2025 draft.
The Bears have more pressing roster needs to address with their three selections in the first two rounds, but they could realistically target a new tight end as early as the third round if they want to stash some affordable reliability behind Kmet. Iowa’s Luke Lachey — a 6-foot-6, 247-pound athletic prospect — would make a great deal of sense, but so too would LSU’s Mason Taylor (6-foot-5, 255 pounds) if he slips into the third round.
More ambitiously, the Bears could invest one of their second-round picks into the tight end position if their new offensive leader wants a certified stud. Think Sam LaPorta, whom the Detroit Lions took at No. 34 overall to great success during the 2023 draft.
Michigan’s Colston Loveland or Penn State’s Tyler Warren could potentially fit the bill as a Day 1 playmaker in the 2025 tight end class. There is also Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr., who has tallied 100 receptions for 1,342 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024 and has steadily climbed the prospect charts throughout the current FBS season.
Even if the Bears do not reach quite so high, there are plenty of options to replace what Everett has brought to the table — and for a lower price than $6.5 million.
