The Chicago Bears made headlines over the weekend by inking cornerback Kyler Gordon to a a three-year, $40 million contract extension that makes him the highest-paidslot corner in the NFL.
Gordon is now under contract with Chicago through the 2028 season. The deal comes one year after the bears locked up Jaylon Johnson on a4 year, $76,000,000 deal.
Clearly establishing the secondary is a priority for Bears GM Ryan Poles. For Poles, signing Gordon also allowed him to deliver on an offseason promise he made and show faith in Chicago's new coaching staff.
A few weeks back at the NFL owners meetings, Poles told the media that any contract extensions were going to need the approval of the Bears' new coaching staff. He also shared that Gordon was at the top of the priority list after discussing things over with the coaches.
"In our exit meetings at the end of last season, I told all the guys in terms of future, if it was contracts, coming back, anything like that, the important thing is I've got to get with our new coaching staff and kind of see how the different players fit based on the scheme," Poles said. "We've been able to have those conversations, and I know Kyler is a guy that we want to be a part of this moving forward. So the timing of that, I'm not sure how that all is going work out, but that is a priority."
In 42 games as a Bear, Gordon has made 207 tackles and recorded five interceptions. He had a career-high four tackles for loss in 2024 as well. Gordon is a herd-hitter and can fly down hill to stop the run. His presence in the Bears defense is felt by every one of their opponents.Two of the Bears' worst losses in 2024 were games when Gordon was not on the field.
It's easy to see why the Bears coaching staff values him so highly, especially new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
"Kyler Gordon, I think, is an outstanding nickel player," Allen said in January when talking about Chicago's secondary. "I have a vision for how we can utilize him. I think the foundation for what we want to do is there, and then I'm just excited about finally getting these guys in here and us having the opportunity to work with him and see exactly what we have."
Clearly the Bears are committed to financially backing the vision Allen has for his defense. They already proved to be financially committed to Ben Johnson when they gave him a five-year, $65 million contract to be their next head coach, but Poles has since doubled down on that investment by spending big bucks on offensive lineman to protect Caleb Williams.
For the first time in recent memory, the Bears seem to be doing things the right way as an organization. They spent big to land the top head coaching candidate available and now they are sparing no expense to support this coaching staff. That's something Bears fans should be awfully optimistic about as the 2025 season gets closer.
