The new NFL year officially begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday, and the negotiating window for unrestricted free agents opens at 11 a.m. Monday. For the Chicago Bears, it’s a critical period for general manager Ryan Poles and coach Ben Johnson to upgrade the roster.
The Bears struck twice before free agency with a pair of trades for offensive linemen Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson from the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams, respectively, addressing one of their biggest positions of need.
The Bears have 27 players with expiring contracts, most notably wide receiver Keenan Allen, offensive linemen Teven Jenkins, Matt Pryor and Coleman Shelton, long snapper Patrick Scales and running back/special teams ace Travis Homer. Their restricted free agents include defensive tackle Chris Williams and offensive lineman Doug Kramer.
The Tribune is tracking and analyzing the latest developments in free agency.
- Bears’ 5 biggest positions of need — and 101 players to watch in free agency and the draft
- Short-term fix for a long-term problem? Brad Biggs’ thoughts on Joe Thuney and Bears’ O-line overhaul.
- What’s a franchise tag? And what does legal tampering mean? NFL free-agency terms explained.
Monday
The Los Angeles Chargers reached agreement on a one-year contract extension with Khalil Mack.
What this means: Dreams of a Mack reunion with the Bears slipped out the window Monday morning when the 34-year-old pass rusher agreed to a fully guaranteed, one-year, $18 million extension to stay with the Chargers, according to multiple national reports.
Mack, who has 107½ career sacks and played four seasons in Chicago from 2018-2021, has spent the last three years in Los Angeles and continues to be a respected pass-rushing threat. In 2023 he totaled a career-high 17 sacks in Brandon Staley’s defense. Last season, after Jim Harbaugh replaced Staley as Chargers head coach, Mack’s sack total dipped to six under defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
The Bears are seeking to add teeth to their pass rush via free agency and the draft. Potential free agents to keep on the radar this week include Josh Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo, Malcolm Koonce, Azeez Ojulari and Joseph Ossai.
Thursday
The Bears reached agreements on two-year contracts with special teams standouts Josh Blackwell and Amen Ogbongbemiga, according to league sources.
What this means: Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, a holdover from Matt Eberflus’ coaching staff, will retain two of his most trusted and valued contributors. The Bears announced both extensions later Thursday.
Ogbongbemiga joined the Bears on a one-year free-agent deal last spring and logged 366 snaps on special teams, second on the team behind fellow linebacker Jack Sanborn.
Blackwell, whom the Bears claimed off waivers at the end of the 2022 preseason when he was an undrafted rookie, has been a high-level special teams contributor for the last three seasons. He made one start at cornerback last season and was a reliable reserve in the secondary when called upon. He had his first career interception off Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence during the Bears’ Week 6 blowout victory in London.
The Bears are signing veteran tight end Durham Smythe to a one-year deal, a league source told the Tribune.
What this means: Released by the Miami Dolphins last month, Smythe has found a new home at Halas Hall in a mini-reunion with Ben Johnson. The two overlapped in Miami for one season in 2018 when Johnson was the Dolphins wide receivers coach and Smythe was a rookie. So as with guard Jonah Jackson, who spent his first four seasons in Detroit with Johnson on the coaching staff, the Bears have checked the familiarity box again.
They needed to add talent and depth at tight end behind Cole Kmet, and Smythe is more of a traditional in-line tight end whose greatest value is as a blocker in the running game. (He also overlapped with Kmet at Notre Dame for one season in 2017.)
Smythe enjoyed a career season in 2023 in receiving productivity, recording 35 catches for 366 yards. Over seven seasons, he has 132 receptions for 1,228 yards with three touchdowns.
