Jaquan Brisker’s Likely Price Tag Revealed And Why It Doesn’t Help His Odds Of Staying
The Chicago Bears have several tough decisions to make regarding their defense this offseason. Nowhere is that clearer than at safety, as their top three players are all becoming free agents. Kevin Byard was named an All-Pro thanks to his seven interceptions this season. Jaquan Brisker started every game and saved his best performance for last in the divisional round. C.J. Gardner-Johnson was a terrific late-season addition who helped stabilize the secondary. GM Ryan Poles knows he probably can’t keep all of them.
As always, it comes down to price. Here is where the Brisker situation becomes more complicated. Spotrac released its market-value projection for the young safety heading into the 2026 offseason. As of now, the safety is expected to command around $11.1 million per year on the open market. That would put him just above Kyle Dugger. While that is still well below the top end of safety contracts ($25 million), it still feels like too much for the Bears. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune confirmed as much.
I don’t see any way the Bears sign both Byard and Brisker. That would be pouring too much money into the safety position. Even if Byard departs, I’m a little skeptical the team would pony up for Brisker. He was fantastic in the divisional-round loss to the Los Angeles Rams. It was his best game of the season, maybe his best in four years. I just don’t feel like he made a major impact over the course of the regular season, and you can’t let recency bias cloud your judgment.
Jaquan Brisker is a good player.
Let’s not get that twisted. When he is on the field, he can impact games. The problem is, he isn’t what you would call irreplaceable. For all his versatility, we’ve seen the measure of what Brisker offers. He likely gives you 90+ tackles, a sack, and an interception every year. While that is perfectly solid, it isn’t what you would call high-end production. Ask this question. How difficult would it be for the Bears to replicate that output with a younger, cheaper option in the draft rather than paying $11 million a year to keep it?
Most teams wouldn’t think twice about it. Jaquan Brisker deserves to get paid. He’s worked hard to get where he is. If the Bears had plenty of salary cap space to spend, they’d likely be more open to retaining him. Unfortunately, their payroll just can’t accommodate him compared to other areas of need. Let somebody else pay the money. The Bears will likely retain Byard and look for safety help in the draft. It is another reminder of how cold the business side of the NFL can be.