Bears GM Ryan Poles told reporters on Wednesday that they would like to re-sign veteran S Kevin Byard, calling him a “special” player per Scott Bair.
“That’s a player we would like to have back,” he said via Brad Biggs. Byard led the NFL with seven interceptions this past season.
Poles did say the Bears would have some challenges to sort through but with all four safeties on expiring deals, it would make a lot of sense to retain Byard.
Byard, 32, is a former third-round pick by the Titans in the 2016 NFL Draft. He was entering the final year of his four-year, $3,237,060 rookie contract and set to make a base salary of $2.025 million in 2019 when he signed a five-year, $70.5 million extension in 2019.
The Titans reworked Byard’s salary to pay him a base salary of $4 million in 2023. He was set to make a base salary of $9.6 million in 2024, the final year of his contract, when the Eagles acquired him in October in exchange for 2024 fifth and sixth-round picks along with veteran S Terrell Edmunds.
The Eagles cut Byard after the season and he signed a two-year deal with the Bears worth up to $15 million.
In 2025, Byard appeared in all 17 games for the Bears, recording 93 total tackles, four tackles for loss, seven interceptions and eight pass defenses.
We have him included in our Top 100 2026 NFL Free Agents list.
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