Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles is making quick work of several in-house items, and linebacker T.J. Edwards is the latest beneficiary.
Two days after Poles extended cornerback Kyler Gordon, making him the highest-paid nickel in the NFL, the Bears GM did the same with Edwards, who just finished his second season with the team.
Bears Sign T.J. Edwards to $20 Million Contract Extension: Report
T.J. Edwards Re-Ups With Bears
“Sources: The #Bears have paid another key piece of their defense. This time, they lock up LB TJ Edwards on a 2-year, $20M extension with $16.6M fully guaranteed,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on X on April 16. “The tackling machine earns another done by agent @SteveCaric of @Wasserman.
“First Kyler Gordon, now TJ Edwards. Both in Chicago long-term.”
Edwards, 28, is a native of Lake Villa, Illinois. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin with the Philadelphia Eagles. Edwards signed a three-year, $19.5 million contract with the Bears in free agency in 2023. He had earned $18.1 million in his career.
He was on the Bears’ books with a $7 million cap hit in 2025. Edwards’ new deal is tied for 14th in average salary and 25th in total value among linebackers, per Over The Cap.
His guaranteed money ranks 13th at his position.
Edwards is the NFL’s fifth-leading tackler since signing with the Bears and sixth since becoming a full-time starter in 2020.
Bears Veterans Who Could Be Next
Edwards and Gordon follow a long line of current Bears to get new money, joining Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson. The Bears also extended trade acquisitions DJ Moore, Jonah Jackson, and Montez Sweat.
Offensive linemen Braxton Jones and Joe Thuney – who the Bears acquired in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason – could be prime candidates; especially the former.
Defensively, safeties Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard are both in the final year of their deals.
According to Over The Cap, the Bears have $9 million in cap space after an aggressive offseason that has focused on the trenches but is also expanding further from the line of scrimmage.