The Chicago Bears’ pursuit of a clean pocket for quarterback Caleb Williams in 2025 will begin in NFL free agency, which gets underway with the negotiation window opening on March 10.
Armed with the fifth-most cap space in the NFL, general manager Ryan Poles is expected to push all of his chips in on the top offensive linemen in this year’s free agency class, headlined by Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith.
The Bears have been linked to Smith at every turn since the offseason kicked off. Free agency projections, predictions, and speculation have him nearly settling in Chicago, and the buzz shows no signs of fading.
In a recent Bleacher Report analysis of the top free agent targets for teams with the most cap space, you guessed it: the Bears are once again connected to Smith.
“Smith will likely be too expensive for the Chiefs to hang on to in free agency, and most of the teams who are at or near the top of the NFL in cap space will probably at least kick the tires,” Gary Davenport wrote. “But the Bears have to improve the pass protection for Caleb Williams, who was sacked a jaw-dropping 68 times as a rookie. If that means making Smith one of the NFL’s highest-paid guards, so be it.
March 10 can’t come soon enough for Chicago Bears fans. While it’s exciting to imagine a right side of the Bears’ offensive line with Trey Smith and Darnell Wright, there are still several obstacles to overcome before that dream becomes a reality.
Smith first has to make it to free agency. The Chiefs could still use the franchise tag on him, and until that deadline passes, anything is possible. The Bears also need to be the team willing to massively overpay for a guard. In fact, I have a sneaky suspicion that the team landing Smith will sign him to a deal approaching $25 million per season. Chicago will have to outbid teams like the New England Patriots to get there.
Finally, Smith has to be willing to leave Kansas City. There’s a human element to all of this that makes free agency inherently unpredictable.
Until then, Bears fans wait. Patiently. And hope for additions like Smith, who will help launch Caleb Williams and Chicago’s offense into an unfamiliar tier for this franchise.
— Enjoy free coverage of the Bears from Chicago Bears on SI —
