The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks are preparing for Sunday’s Super Bowl. For the 30 other NFL teams — including the Chicago Bears — the focus has moved on to the offseason, potential roster moves and the 2026 season.
Not surprisingly, those are the themes of Brad Biggs’ Bears mailbag this week, beginning with the possibility of an overseas game next season.
Do you think the Bears will play an international game in 2026? — Murray P., North Side
This is a topic I poked around on early in the season, and the answer I got at the time was that the Bears were not expected to be the home team for an international game in 2026. That, of course, didn’t rule out the possibility they could be deemed the visiting team for an international game. This was all subject to change.
With the announcement Monday that the NFL will return to Spain in 2026, my antenna is up again that it’s possible the Bears could be headed abroad next season. The league announced it will return to Madrid to play at Bernabéu Stadium — home of Real Madrid — as part of a multiyear commitment to playing regular-season games in Spain.
The NFL played its first game in Spain this season when the Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime in front of 78,610 fans at Bernabéu Stadium.
Here are seven factors to consider:
Three teams have international marketing rights in Spain to grow brand awareness as part of the league’s Global Markets Program: the Bears, Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.
NFC teams will play nine home games and eight road games in 2026. AFC teams will have eight home games and nine road games. On the surface, I’d guess it’s unlikely the Dolphins or Chiefs would play a home game in Spain (or anywhere else overseas) in 2026. But never say never. The Chiefs were the designated visitor this season for a Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Chargers in São Paulo.
The game in Spain doesn’t necessarily have to include teams with home marketing rights in that country.
The Bears probably are amenable to league requests as they want to remain in good graces while seeking support in their bid to build a new stadium. Does that mean the league has asked the Bears or is planning to? I don’t know.
There will be nine international games in 2026. If you don’t like this, well, you best get used to it because the ultimate goal that Commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated Monday is to get to 16 international games each season, meaning eventually every team would play abroad once per season. The NFL views international markets as vital revenue streams.
The other eight games include the Los Angeles Rams playing in Melbourne, Australia, and the New Orleans Saints playing at Stade de France in Paris. There also will be games in Rio de Janeiro, Munich, Mexico City and three in London. With nine international games — provided no teams play two (the Minnesota Vikings played in Dublin and London in consecutive weeks this season) — 18 of the 32 teams will be involved.
The Bears have been active in Spain the last couple of years working to establish a fan base. They’ve conducted flag football clinics, sent former offensive lineman Roberto Garza to Spain multiple times and done other work to grow their brand in that country.
Cap question about signing bonuses and actual cash flow. When a portion of a contract is converted to a signing bonus, are those hard dollars that are paid out to the player? Those are some big checks to write if so. Or is it just a reallocation of guaranteed money? — @halfadrink
The dollars converted to a signing bonus are real, and it’s a mechanism to spread out a cap hit into future seasons. Let’s use center Drew Dalman, who is signed for two more seasons, as a potential example. (I’m not saying Dalman’s contract will be restructured.)
Dalman currently has an $11 million base salary in 2026 and 2027 with a cap hit of $14 million each season. If the Bears converted $6 million of his 2026 base salary into a bonus this year, they would reduce his base salary to $5 million and his cap hit for 2026 to $11 million. That would raise his cap hit for 2027 to $17 million. The upshot would be an additional $3 million in cap space for next season and then a larger hit in 2027.
The Bears restructured cornerback Jaylon Johnson’s contract in September to create $8 million in cap space. The more years a player has remaining on his contract, the more space can be created. Maybe cornerback Kyler Gordon would be a candidate for a restructure to create space this year. Teams generally want to choose players they are confident will be part of their future when restructuring deals to avoid having a big hit if they part ways after a year or two.
I fully expect the Bears to do some combination of releasing veterans and restructuring contracts to create cap space before the new league year starts March 11.
I believe Maxx Crosby is too much risk for the Bears — injuries, cost to get him and age. Do you agree there are better moves the Bears could make for a pass rusher? — @tellus32
Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby eyes Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert on Sept. 15, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Rick Scuteri/AP)
Crosby, who turns 29 in August, is an elite, disruptive player who has one of the most incredible motors you’ll ever see on a man who is 6-foot-5, 255 pounds. He’s tremendous theater for the NFL, and while, from a distance, he looks like the kind of guy who should spend his entire career in a Raiders uniform, Crosby’s potential availability via trade will be a huge story this offseason. Does Las Vegas, with a new coach and the No. 1 draft pick, go full teardown and ship off the face of the franchise to the highest bidder?
Last week at the Senior Bowl, I chatted with a handful of veteran personnel men about the possibility that Crosby could be available. They said what you’d expect: Nothing would surprise them. They also were in agreement that, given the choice between Crosby and Cincinnati Bengals free-agent defensive end Trey Hendrickson, they would choose Crosby. It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, though, because Crosby would require trade compensation.
Would Las Vegas consider moving Crosby? One thing the Raiders do not need this offseason is cap space. They’re No. 2 in the league right now in available space with close to $90 million. A trade would be to add draft capital (or players), and I’d imagine they would have to be blown away by an offer.
The feeling I got was people aren’t concerned that the knee surgery Crosby had at the end of this season will negatively affect his production moving forward. But these people haven’t had their team doctors examine medical records or Crosby himself. He’ll be entering his eighth season, so any team acquiring Crosby objectively would be getting a guy who’s probably a tick below his prime.
Saying that, he’s still an elite, disruptive player. One thing Crosby probably has to do is reduce his playing time. He hates coming off the field, and in games he was active this season, he played 94% of the defensive snaps. He was at 97% in 2024 and 95% in 2023. In order to remain effective, especially late in games, that figure probably needs to dip into the low to mid 80s.
The Bears would need to have legitimate internal conversations about any player of Crosby’s ability who is available — if any are available. But my intuition is that general manager Ryan Poles would have a hard time bundling two first-round draft picks or something close to that to acquire Crosby. If the price is lower, then it would be an intriguing option.
Please don’t think current Bears players who might not be great salary-cap fits could be valuable trade pieces in a bid to acquire Crosby. I firmly believe if the Raiders shop Crosby, they’ll be looking for a big-time return in draft capital.
How are they under water on the cap considering Caleb Williams is on a rookie deal and the overall roster is fairly marginal? — @unisourceg
I have news for you. There’s not necessarily a correlation between cap health and a team’s record. The Bears have been a regular player in free agency over the last few years, which, gauging by regular mailbag questions, is something readers fully support. Right now, they project to be about $10 million over the cap.
The league informed teams that the 2026 salary cap is expected to fall somewhere between $301.2 million and $305.7 million. The higher it is, the better for the Bears. Business is booming in the NFL, as the cap was $279.2 million in 2025 and $208.2 million in 2022. It will have risen nearly $100 million in just four seasons.
While the Bears have more “constraints” this year, as GM Ryan Poles said, they’ll be able to create the room they need to rework the roster this offseason, and the books will be in pretty good shape when they get to 2027. A lot of the contracts they’ve handed out are relatively flat in terms of cap hits, and they can make a series of moves after next season to create additional space.
While free agency is the next big event in the NFL offseason, the draft will be more important, in my opinion. The Bears have a handful of exciting young players on offense: Williams, tight end Colston Loveland, wide receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, running back Kyle Monangai and maybe left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, depending largely on how he recovers from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. That’s as many as six core players on rookie contracts.
If the 2026 draft produces some prospects for the defense, the Bears will have a nucleus of young talent that can help sustain the roster and provide contributors on controlled rookie salaries.
Who, in your opinion, are a few priority re-signings for the Bears this offseason? — @justinhamelin86
Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright (26) and safety Kevin Byard III (31) celebrate after Wright recovered a fumble by Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart on Nov. 9, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
A handful of players coming out of contract are worth keeping an eye on. Free safety Kevin Byard III and cornerback Nahshon Wright are the two biggest names that jump out. The Bears’ ability to re-sign one or both likely depends on what kind of market those players believe they can generate in free agency. Sometimes teams encourage players to gauge their value on the open market as part of the negotiation. There’s a risk of losing the player by going that route, but it also makes the player feel like he’s getting what he’s worth.
In terms of other pending free agents to keep an eye on, I’d list tight end Durham Smythe, left tackle Braxton Jones (more on him in a little bit), guard Jordan McFadden, receiver/returner Devin Duvernay, defensive end Daniel Hardy, linebacker D’Marco Jackson and long snapper Scott Daly. Maybe the team wants to run it back with third quarterback Case Keenum, too, so throw his name in the mix as well.
What are the best options at left tackle? Theo Benedet and Kiran Amegadjie are on the roster and Ozzy Trapilo is out until late 2026 at least. Braxton Jones is a free agent. This seems critical to me. Free agents like Trent Brown, Rob Havenstein and others do little for me and are right tackles. No, I won’t be asking about moving Darnell Wright to left tackle. Draft one? — @themaxconnor1
It will be really interesting to see what shakes out here because there is a hole on the depth chart right now. Whatever move the Bears make likely will give us a glimpse at how they feel about Trapilo’s tape from his rookie season. If they use a first-round draft pick on a left tackle, that would signal they’re looking for a new future at the position. While I think that’s a little unlikely, we can’t rule it out. If they do believe Trapilo is a viable option at left tackle — when healthy — then they probably will be in the market for a bridge option.
That’s where it gets a little tricky — and where I believe Jones could be an option at least worth considering. I wrote about that last week after my trip to the Senior Bowl (item No. 6). Jones’ market value isn’t real hot right now after he played in basically 3½ games. So a one-year deal could give him a chance to boost his profile and give the Bears someone they’re familiar with at the position.
The coaching staff never has seen Jones completely healthy. Finding a decent, experienced left tackle who is healthy won’t be cheap, and, as we know, the Bears won’t have a ton of cap space. This is an important piece of business for the offseason and one to monitor for sure.
Is there a path for the Bears to challenge the NFL’s ruling on compensatory picks for the Falcons’ hiring of Ian Cunningham? If so, will they? — @dominicpelc
Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham speaks during his introductory news conference Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
I suppose anything is possible. I can tell you, without equivocation, that after Atlanta hired Matt Ryan as president of football and before it launched its search for a general manager, the league deemed Ryan to be the franchise’s “primary football executive.”
Not every team has the same organizational flow chart. The Falcons created a new position for Ryan. Like the Bears, the Falcons also have a president/CEO. In New England, Eliot Wolf is considered the Patriots’ primary football executive and has the title of executive vice president of player personnel. In Cincinnati, Duke Tobin is the Bengals’ primary football executive and is listed as director of player personnel.
For the vast majority of teams, including the Bears, the general manager is considered the primary football executive. In essence, the league considers the GM job in Atlanta to be a secondary football executive, akin to the assistant GM position with the Bears. Therefore, the Bears could have blocked Cunningham from taking the Falcons GM job.
The Bears were aware of this before Cunningham interviewed for the GM job in Atlanta. If Ryan wasn’t going to be in a role in which he was over the football operation, the Falcons might have come up with some other type of title, such as an adviser to owner Arthur Blank. This isn’t the Falcons trying to work the system. It’s not like they would have lost draft picks. The compensatory picks are added to the end of the round.
In the spirit of the Rooney Rule — and this goes way beyond two third-round compensatory picks for the Bears — it’s a curious and confusing situation because you can make a case Cunningham received a promotion from his role at Halas Hall. The Rooney Rule was a big topic for Commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday in Santa Clara, Calif. The focus was on this year’s hiring cycle for head coaches. Ten teams changed coaches, and no Black coaches were hired with only one minority candidate — the Tennessee Titans’ Robert Saleh, who’s of Lebanese descent) — getting a job. Goodell stressed that the NFL always is evaluating hiring protocols.
It’s my understanding that the league, in consultation with the team, determines which title is considered the primary football executive. Unless we hear differently, that role belongs to Ryan in Atlanta. Would the league take a second look at the Falcons situation in an evaluation of the Rooney Rule? Maybe that’s possible, but my hunch is the NFL will be more forward-looking.
What do you think Ryan Poles is prioritizing in Round 1? Left tackle, defensive tackle, defensive end? — @joe_vizo
I’d bet Poles is hunting for an impact player at No. 25, and that could come from a lot of positions. I don’t think anyone viewed tight end as the Bears’ top need before they drafted Colston Loveland in the first round last year. Similarly, they weren’t in need of a wide receiver when they selected Luther Burden III in Round 2. Both will be core building blocks for the future.
You probably can cross off a few positions, but I’d add safety, linebacker and cornerback. Heck, if there’s a running back the Bears believe is electric, that wouldn’t be a stunner. It’s more important to get impact players, especially early in the draft, than it is to draft for need.
When teams get hyperfocused on a position on Day 1 or Day 2 of the draft and force a pick at a position when better players at other positions are available, you know what happens? They generally are staring at the same need two or three years later and they don’t have impact players. My advice is to have an open mind and hope the Bears do likewise with their draft board.
What’s up with Ruben Hyppolite II? He was a fourth-rounder yet hardly played even when the defense was totally depleted. Was it a wasted pick? He was supposed to be speedy but Ryan Poles overreached badly per most analysts. — @blueridge3
Bears linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II (47) keeps his eyes on Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) on Nov. 23, 2025, at Soldier Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Hyppolite was one of the few draft picks who didn’t make an impact in 2025. It’s fair to say his rookie season didn’t go as planned. He appeared in seven games with one start against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12 and played 31 snaps on defense and 82 on special teams. He was inactive 10 times.
He suffered an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder against the Steelers when tight end Darnell Washington — who is generously listed at 6-foot-7, 264 pounds but said this season he was playing at 311 — came in motion to kick Hyppolite out on a running play.
“It starts with getting my body right,” Hyppolite said last month on locker-room cleanout day. “It’s been a long season. Really for me, it’s been longer than I’ve ever experienced. It’s just about getting my body back right, feeling good so you can put the work in and get the gains, whether it’s getting stronger, faster, whatever the case may be.
“It’s been great being in the room with the guys I was with — Tremaine (Edmunds), T.J. (Edwards) and Noah (Sewell) — learning from those guys. Experiencing how the league works in terms of personnel, preparation, things of that nature. I feel like I learned a lot as far as how to be a pro. Just knowing what to expect.”
Hyppolite called the play against Washington a good “welcome-to-the-NFL moment.”
“That was a lot of weight to one shoulder,” he said.
He hoped to be more active on special teams, but the Bears were playing well in that phase and used players with more experience such as Amen Ogbongbemiga.
“It definitely motivates me,” Hyppolite said about the string of inactives. “I’ve gotten to this point and I want to play. I want to contribute. That’s what it’s about for me. I am blessed to be in this position. I want to play football. I want to help the team win.
“Definitely was upset about that, but all I can do now is go back to the drawing board. I can only control what I can. That was to show up every day, and I was ready to go if needed. I performed in practice well.”
Hyppolite should have a clean slate in his second season, and if he can build off the things he learned as a rookie, he at least should challenge for a core role on special teams. If he can’t achieve that in Year 2, the Bears will have to consider moving on.
What are the chances D’Andre Swift is back? — @nflchikennugget
Bears running back D’Andre Swift celebrates a victory over the Packers in an NFC wild-card game Jan. 10, 2026, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Swift is in decent position to return to the Bears for the final year of his contract. He’s on the books to earn a $6.39 million base salary with a $500,000 roster bonus due March 15 and as much as $510,000 available in per-game roster bonuses plus a $100,000 workout bonus. Considering Swift’s value to the offense, I’d say the Bears feel confident he would provide value at that price. He rushed for a career-high 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns this season and caught 34 passes for 299 yards and another score.
Swift, 27, will be motivated to have another strong season in a contract year. Releasing him would create $7.47 million in cap space. It also would create a need in the backfield after Swift played 621 snaps (58%) in 2025. The Bears did well with their pairing of Swift and Kyle Monangai.
The Bears will require conversations about all of their veterans under contract who are making solid money, especially the ones who no longer have guaranteed money in their deals. Swift is in that group. I would guess they will lean toward running it back with him in 2026, but a lot needs to be discussed internally.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/04/chicago-bears-mailbag-spain-maxx-crosby/
