2025 Chicago Bears roster breakdown: Who’s under contract and who’s a free agent?

With the Philadelphia Eagles' win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, the 2024 NFL season is officially in the books.

For all 32 teams across the league, the focus already has shifted to next year.

The Chicago Bears have a new head coach in Ben Johnson, who has begun working with general manager Ryan Poles on how to improve the Bears roster.

Here’s a look at who the Bears have under contract for 2025 and who is set to become a free agent. Contract status is according to OverTheCap.com.

Under contract for 2025

* – indicates a player is on a futures contract.

Quarterback (3)

Tyson Bagent

*Austin Reed

Caleb Williams

Running back (3)

Roschon Johnson

D’Andre Swift

Ian Wheeler

Receiver (6)

*Maurice Alexander

*John Jackson

DJ Moore

Rome Odunze

Tyler Scott

*Samori Toure

Tight end (4)

Gerald Everett

Cole Kmet

*Jordan Murray

*Joel Wilson

Offensive tackle (5)

Kiran Amegadjie

*Theo Benedet

Braxton Jones

*Joshua Miles

Darnell Wright

Interior offensive line (3)

Ryan Bates

*Chris Glaser

*Ricky Stromberg

Defensive end (5)

Austin Booker

*Jamree Kromah

Dominique Robinson

Montez Sweat

DeMarcus Walker

Defensive tackle (3)

Andrew Billings

Gervon Dexter

Zacch Pickens

Linebacker (4)

Tremaine Edmunds

TJ Edwards

*Carl Jones Jr.

Noah Sewell

Cornerback (4)

Kyler Gordon

Jaylon Johnson

Terell Smith

Tyrique Stevenson

Safety (5)

Jaquan Brisker

Kevin Byard

*Alex Cook

Elijah Hicks

Jonathan Owens

Special teams (2)

P Tory Taylor

K Cairo Santos

Restricted free agents (Bears have the option to match offers from other teams):

CB Josh Blackwell

C Doug Kramer

CB Jaylon Jones

LB Jack Sanborn

DT Chris Williams

Exclusive rights free agents (if the Bears offer a contract at league minimum, these players cannot negotiate with other teams):

S Douglas Coleman

DT Jonathan Ford

DE Daniel Hardy

OL Bill Murray

DB Ameer Speed

Unrestricted free agents:

WR Keenan Allen

OL Larry Borom

TE Stephen Carlson

WR DeAndre Carter

S Adrian Colbert

DT Byron Cowart

OL Jake Curhan

LS Scott Daly

RB Darrynton Evans

RB Travis Homer

OL Teven Jenkins

WR Collin Johnson

TE Marcedes Lewis

DE Jacob Martin

DB Tarvarius Moore

LB Amen Ogbongbemiga

OL Matt Pryor

LS Patrick Scales

C Coleman Shelton

DE Darrell Taylor

WR Nsimba Webster

What it means:

• Keenan Allen is the biggest name set to hit the free agent market. In his first season in Chicago, Allen totaled 70 receptions for 744 yards and seven touchdowns. Allen, who turns 33 in April, has never hit free agency. He spent 11 seasons with the Chargers before the Bears traded for him in March. The Bears could be a favorite to land him in 2025. Allen indicated toward the end of the season that his preference is to either stay in Chicago or go back to Los Angeles.
• If Allen does walk away in free agency, the Bears will need to think about what they want their receiving group to look like behind DJ Moore. That would likely mean Rome Odunze becomes the No. 2 target. What does this team want in a No. 3 receiver? A small speedy guy or a bigger-bodied target?
• Left guard Teven Jenkins said last month that he was mentally preparing to hit free agency. The former second-round draft pick was one of the team’s best linemen but simply couldn’t stay healthy over the course of a full season. He started only 38 games in four years.
• How do the Bears attack the offensive line? That is one of the biggest questions facing this roster in 2025. Only two starters are set to return: left tackle Braxton Jones and right tackle Darnell Wright. Interior lineman Ryan Bates remains under contract for one more season, but he hardly qualifies as a starter. Bates entered the season expecting to be the starting center. Injuries limited him to three games in 2024. Presumably Wright, the No. 10 overall draft pick in 2023, is the only sure thing on the offensive line in 2025. Center Coleman Shelton is set to become a free agent.
• Defensively, the Bears don’t have a strong No. 2 at defensive end. Montez Sweat had a down year with only 5.5 sacks, despite appearing in 16 games. It’s evident that he needs help. If the Bears can pair him with another top defensive end, that could work wonders for the defensive line.
• Additionally, the Bears' defensive line underperformed after defensive tackle Andrew Billings suffered a season-ending injury in November. The D-line needs better depth along the interior.
• The secondary might be one area where the Bears don’t have to make any drastic changes. Starters Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard return next season. Nickel corner Kyler Gordon has one more year remaining on his rookie contract.