Overview
- OverTheCap projects Chicago to be $5.3 million over the 2026 salary cap with 13 players set for cap hits above $10 million.
- The team can reach compliance through restructures, though it is evaluating veteran releases to create additional flexibility for roster upgrades.
- Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds carries a $17.4 million 2026 cap hit, and a release would save about $15 million with no guarantees remaining on his deal.
- Tight end Cole Kmet has a $10.8 million cap charge, and cutting him would clear roughly $8.4 million after his role declined behind rookie Colston Loveland.
- A D.J. Moore trade is described as less likely but possible, with $24.25 million owed annually and only the 2026 compensation guaranteed, which could yield draft capital and cap space.