Getty Former Broncos free safety Justin Simmons.
The Chicago Bears swapped one 30-year-old free safety for another during the 2024 offseason, cutting longtime starter Eddie Jackson and signing Kevin Byard as his replacement. After Byard’s rough finish in 2023, though, one analyst wants to see them get “super aggressive” and add another All-Pro to the fold.
Bleacher Report’s Joe Tansey recently made the case for the Bears to pursue four-time All-Pro Justin Simmons — the best free safety still on the market — before the start of training camp on July 19. He is also 30 years old, but he has been one of the NFL’s most dominant safeties over the past five seasons and played better than Byard did in 2023.
Simmons has more interceptions (30) than any other NFL player since coming into the league in 2016 and has been named a second-team All-Pro in four of his last five years. He also made the Pro Bowl roster for the second time in his career in 2023, a sign that he is not yet slowing down even as he enters his 30s.
“Simmons would likely require a multi-year deal given his stature at the safety position, but if the Bears want to be super aggressive in the free-agent market, he could be worth the move,” Tansey wrote on June 26.
Justin Simmons Likely Not in the Cards for Chicago
For a few days in March, Simmons might have been an enticing option for the Bears. The Denver Broncos released him for roughly $14.5 million in salary-cap savings on March 7, making him one of the most talented safeties on the pre-free agency market at a time when the Bears still needed one. That all changed when Chicago agreed to terms on a two-year, $15 million deal with Byard on March 10, though.
The Bears caught some by surprise with how quickly they acted to address their free safety vacancy. They released Jackson on February 15, indicating they would be looking for a replacement, but they brought in Byard before even having a chance to negotiate with the rest of the free agent class, such as Xavier McKinney. (Byard could sign before the league year because the Philadelphia Eagles had released him during the offseason).
Such urgency suggests the Bears are confident in what Byard will bring to the table.
The Bears also supported that notion with their other moves — or non-moves — at safety. They signed Jonathan Owens to a two-year contract as well, but he is more likely to play the No. 3 safety role than contend for a starting job. The Bears also did not add any other safeties during the 2024 NFL draft, leaving Byard essentially unchallenged.
Put simply, the Bears seem to trust Byard. And if they did not and felt they needed someone of Simmons’ caliber to push him in 2024, they would have done it already.
Bears Have Options to Save Additional Cap Space
Even if the Bears wanted Simmons, they might not have the cap space to sign him.
The Bears will have between $13 million and $11 million in cap space once they have signed the rest of their rookie class, including first-round picks Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze. Afterward, they will still have to account for multiple costs: the 52nd and 53rd contracts on their roster, their practice squad and an in-season piggy bank.
Realistically, the Bears could have less than $4 million in cap space left at that point.
Now, the Bears have ways to free up additional space space. They could cut a handful of veteran players for savings, including Larry Borom ($3.11 million), Khari Blasingame ($1.6 million) and Travis Homer ($1.88 million). They could also restructure or extend players with larger cap numbers. An extension for Keenan Allen, for instance, would likely lower his massive 2024 cap hit of $23.1 million — second-highest on the team.
If the Bears are going to move things around and sign one more veteran free agent, though, it likely won’t be a redundancy like Simmons with Byard already in place.
