The Chicago Bears are expected to let safety Jaquan Brisker walk in free agency this offseason, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. Bears GM Ryan Poles has expressed a preference for keeping veteran safety Kevin Byard III, a call that pushes Brisker toward the open market for his second NFL contract.

Brisker, 26, was a second-round pick out of Penn State in the 2022 NFL Draft. Byard, 33, posted an NFL-best seven interceptions last season. Poles has made his priority clear, and the Bears appear unwilling to pay both safeties at market rate.

Why the Chicago Bears Could Not Keep Both Safeties

The Chicago Bears cannot carry both Brisker and Byard at full market-rate deals this offseason. Poles confirmed the team’s preference for Byard, which signals the salary cap math does not work for both players. With Byard coming off an NFL-leading seven interceptions in 2025, he commands serious money. Brisker becomes the odd man out in Chicago’s defensive backfield.

Seven interceptions from a single safety in one season is a rare output at any age. Poles and the Bears front office view Byard’s turnover rate as a bigger asset than Brisker’s youth and upside heading into 2026. That choice reflects where the front office places its trust: on what a player has done, not what he might do next.

A deep safety who generates turnovers at Byard’s clip affects how opposing quarterbacks attack the middle of the field. His ball-hawking ability at the back of a two-high shell is hard to replace. Losing that production would hurt Chicago’s defense more than losing Brisker’s athleticism at the spot.

What Ryan Poles Said About Byard and Brisker

Read more: Detroit Lions Release LT Taylor Decker

“Bears GM Ryan Poles said the team would like to retain safety Kevin Byard III, a potential move that likely means Brisker will test free agency for his second contract,” ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reported. Poles did not publicly shut the door on Brisker, but his language around Byard made the pecking order obvious.

When a GM names one player publicly and goes quiet on another, the roster direction is rarely unclear. Cronin covers the Bears closely, and her framing carries weight. Based on her reporting, Chicago is not expected to make a serious push to keep both safeties this spring.

One counterpoint: Brisker is only 26 and entering what should be his best years at safety. A team focused on long-term defensive building might argue that locking up Brisker at a fair second contract is smarter than paying a 33-year-old, even a productive one. The Bears, though, appear to be betting on Byard’s track record over Brisker’s projected ceiling.

Key Facts in the Chicago Bears Safety Situation

Here is a fast look at the core details driving this decision, drawn directly from ESPN’s Cronin report. Each point reflects what has been confirmed, not projected.

• Poles publicly stated a desire to retain Byard, the veteran safety, heading into the 2026 offseason.
• Brisker, the 26-year-old Penn State product, is expected to test free agency for his second NFL contract this spring.
• Byard, 33, led the entire NFL with seven interceptions during the 2025 season.
• Brisker was selected by Chicago in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
• Cronin first reported the Bears’ preference for Byard over Brisker in this offseason cycle.

What Happens Next for the Chicago Bears Defense

Read more: Bryce Young and Panthers Face Crowded

If this plays out as reported, Chicago loses a young, athletic safety in Brisker while keeping a proven ball-hawk in Byard. The Bears will need to address the depth chart at safety through the NFL Draft or added free agency signings. Chicago’s defensive backfield plan for 2026 now hinges on how Poles fills the gap Brisker leaves.

From a cap standpoint, not pursuing Brisker’s second contract frees up flexibility. That space could shift toward other defensive needs or toward locking up Byard on a deal that fits a 33-year-old’s market value. The draft strategy for Chicago in April will likely reflect this opening at safety, with Poles possibly targeting a Day 2 defensive back to step into Brisker’s role.

Brisker hitting the open market gives other NFL clubs a shot at a 26-year-old former second-round pick at a position many teams covet. For fantasy football managers tracking Chicago’s defensive unit, Byard’s return as the primary ball-hawk in the Bears’ secondary is now the more reliable constant heading into the new season. The Bears have a defined path at the position. Whether that path holds depends on how the rest of free agency shakes out for Poles and his front office.

Cameron Jordan, the New Orleans Saints’ all-time sack leader, entered free agency Friday after the team confirmed his release, marking his first trip to the open market in his NFL career. Jordan has not closed the door on returning to New Orleans, but his exit reshapes the Saints’ defensive front heading into the 2026 offseason.

Jordan spent every season with the Saints after being drafted by the club. His departure strips New Orleans of its most decorated pass rusher. The front office now faces a gap along the defensive line that will not be cheap or quick to fill.

Cameron Jordan’s Legacy on the Defensive Line

Jordan owns the Saints’ career sack record, a mark built over more than a decade as a 4-3 defensive end. Few edge rushers in franchise history matched his durability or snap-count output. His run in the NFC South set the benchmark every future Saints pass rusher gets measured against.

His value stretched well beyond raw sack totals. Film shows Jordan logging consistent pressure year after year, drawing double-team attention that freed linebackers and interior linemen on the same play. He anchored the Saints’ base 4-3 front and forced opposing offensive coordinators to account for him on every snap. The numbers from his tenure back that up.

Losing that kind of presence does not just dent the sack column. It changes how opposing play-callers script their run-game attack against New Orleans. When Jordan lined up, defenses got a built-in advantage that the Saints’ scheme was designed around, and that advantage disappears with him gone.

Jordan’s exit also carries salary cap weight. The structure of his prior contract and any dead money math will factor into how aggressively New Orleans pursues a replacement, whether through veteran signings or a scheme overhaul built around younger personnel on cheaper deals.

What Jordan’s Free Agency Means for the Saints’ Defense

Read more: Chicago Bears Expected to Let Jaquan

The Saints must now find edge-rush production elsewhere or persuade Jordan to re-sign. He has not ruled out staying with New Orleans, which keeps a reunion alive. The defensive coordinator faces real decisions about front alignment and whether to chase outside help before the 2026 season kicks off.

The 2026 NFL free agent market at edge rusher is deep, per league-wide reporting on the top available players. That depth could benefit New Orleans if the front office opts to add a complementary pass rusher rather than chase a direct one-for-one swap. Multiple options on the market mean the Saints would not need to overpay to upgrade the position.

The draft path is also open. Multiple 2026 NFL Mock Draft projections slot four or five pass rushers inside the top 15 picks. That gives New Orleans a realistic route to address the position with a first-round selection if Jordan signs elsewhere. Both avenues offer legitimate solutions, and the Saints’ front office would be wise to pursue them at the same time.

One counterpoint worth noting: Jordan’s age and the market’s depth could push his asking price to a level where a restructured deal makes more financial sense than spending draft capital on an unproven rookie. The Saints will weigh both paths before the free agency window closes.

Key Facts in the Jordan Free Agency Situation

• Jordan entered free agency after the Saints confirmed his release Friday, his first time available on the open market in his NFL career.
• He has not ruled out remaining with New Orleans, leaving a return as a live possibility heading into the signing period.
• Jordan holds the Saints’ all-time sack record, making him the most decorated pass rusher in franchise history.
• The 2026 free agent edge rusher class ranks among the deepest available pools, with multiple pass-rush options that fit a 4-3 scheme.
• Multiple 2026 NFL Mock Draft projections slot edge rushers in four or five of the top 15 picks, giving New Orleans a draft-based path if Jordan departs.

How New Orleans Can Address the Pass-Rush Void

Read more: Detroit Lions Release LT Taylor Decker

The Saints face three realistic paths: re-sign Jordan on a restructured deal, target a veteran free agent edge rusher, or use draft capital on one of the top pass rushers projected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Each path carries different cap implications and timeline risks that the front office must weigh before the window opens.

Jordan’s value was not limited to sack production. He won at the point of attack against both run and pass. Any replacement needs time to absorb the Saints’ scheme before delivering comparable output. A veteran free agent offers a faster ramp-up. A rookie offers longer-term cost control under a structured rookie deal.

Teams that lose a cornerstone edge rusher without a clear successor tend to see blitz rate climb and coverage sack numbers drop. That pattern signals a defense compensating rather than generating organic pressure. New Orleans will want to avoid that outcome as it builds toward the 2026 regular season. The numbers reveal how dependent the Saints’ pressure packages were on Jordan’s ability to win one-on-one.

Jordan’s openness to returning keeps the reunion option active. The Saints would be well-served to maintain those talks while also scanning the broader market. Front offices that work multiple options at once tend to land better deals when the signing period opens, and New Orleans has no reason to wait on either front.

Deebo Samuel’s standing with the San Francisco 49ers is under the microscope as 2026 NFL free agency kicks off. The Niners hold more than $38.7 million in projected cap space entering the new league year, and Samuel’s situation sits at the center of the team’s offensive rebuild this spring.

The early negotiating window opened Monday at noon ET, with the league year set to begin Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. That tight timeline is forcing the 49ers brass to move fast on every contract priority.

Where the 49ers Cap Picture Stands

San Francisco enters the 2026 offseason ranked 11th in the NFL in projected salary cap space at $38.7 million, per OverTheCap. That number gives the Niners real room to work without painful cap gymnastics — a luxury most NFC West rivals don’t enjoy right now.

The 49ers have long preferred to keep homegrown talent over chasing outside free agents. General manager John Lynch has built on that philosophy for years. Teams that extend their core players tend to outperform cap-heavy outside additions over a three-year stretch. The available space in 2026 lets Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan stay true to that model.

One item already off the board: kicker Eddy Pineiro re-signed on a four-year deal before free agency opened. Small move, but smart cap discipline. Specialist contracts can quietly drain space if left to the open market.

Brandon Aiyuk’s Likely Exit and Deebo Samuel’s New Role

Read more: Chicago Bears Expected to Let Jaquan

San Francisco is more likely to cut wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk at the start of the league year. A post-June 1 designation would save roughly $6.3 million in additional 2026 cap space. Losing Aiyuk shifts more weight onto Deebo Samuel as the top option in Shanahan’s wide zone offense — a role Samuel has filled before, though rarely without a capable second threat beside him.

Shanahan’s system demands receivers who can align in multiple spots, motion pre-snap, and rack up yards after the catch. Deebo Samuel has been the most complete version of that archetype on the roster since arriving in 2019. He lines up in the backfield, out wide, and in the slot. He functions as a receiver-runner hybrid on jet sweeps and end-arounds. When healthy and at full snap count, San Francisco’s offense generates more explosive plays and sustains drives at a higher clip.

Aiyuk’s likely departure also reshapes the target share math. With him gone, Samuel and tight end George Kittle become the two primary focal points. Defenses will adjust fast. The 49ers will need to add receiver depth — through the draft or free agency — to keep opposing coordinators from loading the box against Samuel on early downs.

Which 49ers Starters Are Likely Back?

San Francisco does not have many key starters scheduled to hit free agency, a point reinforced by the Pineiro deal closing before the market even opened. The Niners look positioned to retain most of their core while adding selectively — a conservative but proven approach under Lynch’s watch.

Jauan Jennings is among the names flagged in the 49ers’ free agency review. Jennings carved out a reliable role in Shanahan’s scheme as a big-bodied receiver who wins contested catches in the red zone. That skill set directly complements Deebo Samuel’s speed-based production. Whether San Francisco brings Jennings back at a fair number or lets him test the market will shape how much receiver depth the team needs to add through other means.

The broader roster picture: the Niners aren’t rebuilding. They’re reloading. With $38.7 million in space and relatively few free agent losses to absorb, San Francisco can be selective. Lynch has genuine leverage in talks rather than making desperation-driven offers — a very different posture from teams that have overextended on long-term deals.

Key Developments in the 49ers Offseason

Read more: Detroit Lions Release LT Taylor Decker

• The NFL’s early negotiating window opened Monday at noon ET; the new league year begins Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, creating a two-day window where deals can be agreed upon but not yet signed.
• Eddy Pineiro’s four-year pact was wrapped up before free agency opened, making it one of the first 49ers roster moves finalized this cycle.
• A post-June 1 designation on Aiyuk’s release — rather than a straight cut — generates roughly $6.3 million in cap savings beyond a standard release.
• The 49ers’ free agency checklist flags Jauan Jennings as a player whose return or departure will define the team’s receiver depth heading into 2026.
• San Francisco’s 11th-ranked cap position gives Lynch flexibility to pursue both offensive and defensive upgrades without forcing a binary choice between the two sides of the ball.

What Comes Next for San Francisco

San Francisco’s draft strategy carries extra weight in 2026 given the likely loss of Aiyuk. The 49ers hold picks that could land a receiver capable of absorbing the volume Aiyuk handled. Shanahan has a track record of developing mid-round wideouts into productive contributors — Jennings himself is the clearest example of that pipeline working.

The defensive side of the ball also factors into how aggressively the front office spends. If cornerback or edge rusher needs investment, the brass may prioritize those spots over receiver additions. That would leave Deebo Samuel carrying a heavier passing game load through at least the early weeks of the season.

San Francisco enters 2026 with more financial flexibility than most NFC teams, a stable core, and a clear plan to move off Aiyuk’s contract. The counterargument is real, though: losing a receiver of Aiyuk’s caliber without a proven replacement on the roster is a genuine risk. No amount of cap space fully covers a drop in offensive talent at the position. The 49ers are betting that Samuel, Kittle, and a yet-to-be-named addition can fill that gap. A reasonable bet — but not a sure one.