Kyler Gordon Sends Strong Message on Bears Future as Contract Talks Loom

Chicago Bears star slot cornerback Kyler Gordon feels like the “whole world” is asking him about potentially signing an extension during the 2025 offseason, but he wants to close out 2024 properly before thinking about it too much.

Gordon — a 2022 second-round pick — will become extension-eligible for the Bears following Week 18’s regular-season finale against the Green Bay Packers. He has also been one of their best defensive players throughout the 2024 season, raising questions about whether the team should act fast and work to extend him before the 2025 season.

Gordon even fielded one of those questions during his December 30 press conference, sending a clear message that he would be “grateful” to sign a new deal with Chicago.

“I haven’t thought a ton about it,” Gordon said. “A lot of people have started to bring it up to me — often now. Really, I’ve just been focused on ending out the year right and good. I love Chicago, I love the people here, the fans, everything. If I’m grateful enough to get that, then that’s what it will be. God willing, whatever He does and chooses.

Kyler Gordon Has Become One of NFL’s Top Slot CBs

The Bears have Gordon under contract through the end of the 2025 season, so there is no immediate need to sign him to a long-term extension. With how well he has played in the slot over the past two years, though, the Bears may want to seriously consider it.

Gordon has emerged as one of the best young slot cornerbacks in the NFL in his two seasons since moving away from the perimeter. Despite missing two games in 2024 with an injury, the 25-year-old has notched 71 tackles, three tackles for loss, five pass deflections, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries in 14 performances.

According to Pro Football Focus, Gordon also owns top-10 grades among nickel corners in all three major categories — overall (73.3), run defense (75.8) and coverage (72.3).

If the Bears feel Gordon can be a long-term asset for their defense, it would make sense for them to dive into contract negotiations in 2025 and work out an extension for him before next season when he will have more chances to further raise his price tag.

Gordon will have a $1.89 million base salary and a $2.76 million cap hit for the 2025 season under his current deal, so it is not unreasonable to think he could want more compensation for rising to the upper echelon of his position. The Bears can also take advantage of their roughly $61.8 million in projected cap space for 2025 and sign him to a front-loaded extension that keeps Gordon affordable for the duration of his deal.

Maybe the front office — amid a coaching search and cultural rebuild — is not keen on signing extensions too far in advance, but Gordon’s talent demands consideration.

Who Else Could Bears Extend During 2025 Offseason?

Aside from Gordon, the Bears will have several other extension candidates to consider signing to new deals when their offseason officially begins next week. Some are pending free agents who, without new deals, will enter NFL free agency in March, while others are on similar ground to Gordon and have outplayed the value of their current deals.

The big two for the first category are left guard Teven Jenkins and veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen — and it is debatable whether the team should re-sign either one of them. Jenkins has been the Bears’ best interior offensive lineman for the past few seasons, but his health and availability raise significant concerns about his long-term viability. And as for Allen, while he leads the team in touchdown catches (seven) in 2024, he turns 33 in April and could want more money than Chicago is willing to pay him to stick around.

Outside of the big two, the Bears could also weigh short-term extensions with a few of their other pending free agents. Signing one-year deals with veteran offensive lineman Matt Pryor (14 starts in 2024) or wide receiver/return specialist DeAndre Carter would make sense from a depth perspective — unless their new coach targets his own guys.

Then there are the other two standouts from the 2022 draft class: strong safety Jaquan Brisker and left tackle Braxton Jones. Brisker might be in the same boat as Gordon if he had not missed the majority of the 2024 season with a concussion, but he’ll now need to bank on a strong 2025 to earn his next deal. Meanwhile, Jones just suffered a season-ending ankle injury. The Bears will likely need to see him recover before starting talks.