The Chicago Bears are positioned to be a surprise team during the 2025 season with new head coach Ben Johnson leading the charge over an improved roster and a new coaching staff.
When looking at the current roster, there are no shortage of cornerstones on both sides of the ball — some more affordable than others. There are quite a few key members on offense who are steals given their position and contract status while there are some key defensive starters who are bargain deals.
Here are the eight biggest bargains on the Bears‘ roster for 2025, with all cap figures from Over The Cap.
QB Caleb Williams: $8.97 million
Sure, Caleb Williams has the Bears’ ninth-biggest cap hit in 2025. But in a world where quarterbacks are making north of $50 million per year, having a talented, young quarterback for less than $10 million is a freaking steal. While Williams’ cap hits for the final two years of his rookie deal with exceed $10 million, that’s a huge bargain in this league. Williams is coming off an encouraging rookie season where he flashed the potential to be a franchise quarterback. Now, Williams gets to work with offensive guru Ben Johnson, behind a revamped offensive line and with new weapons, and many are expecting a breakout year from the former No. 1 overall pick.
WR Rome Odunze: $5.16 million
Keeping with second-year pros on super-affordable deals, wide receiver Rome Odunze is another massive bargain on Chicago’s roster in 2025. While Odunze’s counterpart DJ Moore boasts a $24.9 million cap hit, Odunze will cost a little more than $5 million on the cap this season. Over the next two years of his rookie contract, last year’s ninth overall pick will cost no more than $7.2 million. Odunze is coming off a solid rookie season, where he totaled 54 receptions for 734 yards and three touchdowns — as the third receiver. With Keenan Allen gone, Odunze will see an expanded role as WR2 and with the benefit of playing in a Ben Johnson offense.
RT Darnell Wright: $5.7 million
Darnell Wright has quietly been one of the Bears’ most dependable offensive linemen, and he’s come as one heck of a bargain. While most starting right tackles make between $10-15 million per year, Wright will cost $5.7 million against the cap in 2025. In the final year of his rookie deal, he’ll cost $6.6 million against the 2026 cap. The most important thing is protecting quarterback Caleb Williams, and it helps when you have players like Wright in front of him (and at an affordable rate). With the interior offensive line being overhauled this offseason, it’ll help Wright even more as he looks to continue his solid play on the right side.
LG Joe Thuney: $8 million
Speaking of offensive line steals, the Bears getting an All-Pro guard in Joe Thuney for just $8 million in 2025 is one of the biggest bargains on the entire roster. But while Thuney is a steal this season, his cap hit will increase significantly over the next two years to $21.5 million in 2026 and 2027. Still, investing in one of the NFL’s best interior offensive linemen is never a bad thing when you’re building around your quarterback. And while Thuney has yet to hit the field for Chicago, his resume speaks for itself, and he should anchor a revamped interior offensive line in front of Caleb Williams.
CB Kyler Gordon: $4.62 million
The Bears just signed cornerback Kyler Gordon to a three-year, $40 million contract extension, which keeps him in Chicago through 2028. While Gordon will have cap hits of $13.3 million over that three-year span, he remains a bargain in the final year of his rookie deal at $4.62 million in 2025. Gordon has established himself as one of the best nickel cornerbacks in the NFL, and he’ll now have an opportunity to thrive even more under new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who mentioned Gordon specifically when he was first hired back in January.
LB T.J. Edwards: $5.5 million
Linebacker T.J. Edwards has been one of general manager Ryan Poles’ best free-agent acquisitions, as evidenced by his recent two-year, $20 million contract extension that keeps him in Chicago through 2027. Edwards’ current contract makes him a huge bargain for the Bears at $5.5 million. But over the next two years, his cap hit will increase to $10.83 million in 2026 and 2027. Still, Edwards has proven to be an integral part of this defense (outperforming Tremaine Edmunds, who signed a massive four-year, $72 million deal back in 2023) in his two seasons with Chicago. Now, Edwards has the opportunity to improve under new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
DT Gervon Dexter: $1.83 million
Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter is a breakout candidate on this Bears defense this season, and he’ll be among the biggest steals if he reaches that potential. Dexter will cost Chicago just $1.83 million against the 2025 salary cap, and his future cap hit in the final year of his rookie deal is also more-than-affordable at $2.13 million. Dexter stepped up in his first year as a starter along the defensive interior, where he thrived alongside Andrew Billings. Dexter has shown an ability to be a disruptive interior pass rusher, and there’s speculation he could even kick out to the outside at times in Dennis Allen’s defense.
DT Andrew Billings: $3.3 million
Defensive tackle Andrew Billings has been another one of Ryan Poles’ best free-agent signings, and his impact on the Bears’ run defense is unmatched. That alone makes him a bargain at $3.3 million, which is the smallest cap hit in his three years in Chicago. While he’s not someone whose name is frequently praised or his contributions noticeable in the boxscore, Billings does a lot of the dirty work in the trenches. His biggest contribution has been helping turn around the run defense in a huge way, and his absence was notable after he was lost for season to a torn pec. We’ll see how Billings factors into the interior defensive line with Gervon Dexter and free-agent addition Grady Jarrett, but Billings should remain key in the Bears’ run defense in 2025.