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Chicago Bears' salary cap remains strong after flurry of moves on Day 1 of 2025 NFL free agency

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Mar 11, 2025 11:17 AM ET

The Chicago Bears have been one of the busiest teams this offseason, adding three new starters to the offensive line and two to the defensive line. And the work isn't over yet for GM Ryan Poles, who still has several roster weaknesses that must be addressed in the next few days of 2025 NFL free agency.

With those roster upgrades came some serious financial commitments. The Bears agreed to three free-agent contracts (Drew Dalman, Grady Jarret, and Dayo Odeyingbo) that will add an extra $44.5 million in average annual salary to the pay roll, and that's not including the big-money contracts they're inheriting from the Kansas City Chiefs for Joe Thuney and the Los Angeles Rams for Jonah Jackson.

The Chicago Bears began the offseason with the fifth-most salary cap space in the NFL. It allowed them to make these power moves. And even though they've doled out a lot of cash so far, they still have plenty of money to add more quality veterans to the roster in free agency.

According to Spotrac, the Bears rank 15th in salary cap space, with $37.7 million. For some perspective, the Green Bay Packers rank 14th with $37.8 million.

If we go further up the salary cap rankings, the New England Patriots have the most available cap room with $93.2 million. The Los Angeles Chargers are next at $91.6 million before a big drop to No. 3, the Arizona Cardinals, at $72.9 million.

Here's the point: The Chicago Bears are probably finished adding big-name free agents, but they're not done improving the roster. And with a top-half ranking in salary cap space, they have the means to add more quality veterans as rotational pieces and depth to what's becoming a very talented 2025 squad.

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