2025 Chicago Bears Offseason Preview: Cap Space, Team Needs, Draft Picks, More

Chicago Bears salary cap update

The Bears are $62,968,403 under the cap, according to OverTheCap.com. That represents the sixth-most space among NFL teams. Only the Los Angeles Chargers ($63.409M), Arizona Cardinals ($71.333M), Washington Commanders ($78.110M), Las Vegas Raiders ($92.526M), and New England Patriots ($120.041M) have more space than the Bears. As things stand right now, eight teams (Texans, Cowboys, Falcons, Dolphins, Seahawks, Bills, Browns, and Saints) are over the league’s projected salary cap of $272.5 million. And while every NFL team will be under the cap by the time the new league year begins on March 12, no team has a climb like a New Orleans franchise that is more than $54 million *OVER* the cap. But I digress.

Despite some missteps along the way, Bears General Manager Ryan Poles and his front office have done a good job maintaining a healthy cap situation for the team. That said, this could be a time for the team to flex its cap muscle and bring in some serious roster upgrades.

Chicago Bears draft picks

The Chicago Bears currently own the following picks in the 2025 NFL Draft (h/t Tankathon):

Round 1, Pick 10
Round 2, Pick 39 (Thanks, Panthers!)
Round 2, Pick 41
Round 3, Pick 72
Round 5, Pick 149
Round 6, Pick 197 (via the Steelers and the Justin Fields trade)
Round 7, Pick 235 (via the Bengals)
Round 7, Pick 242 (via the Vikings by way of the Browns)

At this time last year, the Bears just five picks. So, to have eight selections going into the offseason feels like a bonus. Chicago’s football team could add picks by trading back with one of its first three selections. Or perhaps it could dangle those choices to move up or even snag a player in a trade. I am willing to keep an open mind to how the Bears use their draft capital this offseason.