Windy City Gridiron
In this series, we will look at which Chicago Bears players need to step up their play to match their pay in 2025.
Expectations are a tricky thing. One of the safest ways to fan over the years is to set the bar low and not expect much from your team. We Chicago Bears fans know this well. I couldn’t help but think of one of the all-time great MADtv skits as I began this series. Let’s be honest, these actually were mostly terrible, but the point remains. Expectations are key!
However, with Ben Johnson now calling the shots in Chi-town and Caleb Williams under center, times are looking up for The Beloved. With over $64 million in cap space and 4 picks in the top 75 of this upcoming NFL Draft, Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles has plenty of resources at his disposal to improve the team moving forward. But what about the players currently under contract? In this series, we will highlight ten players who need to step up their play to justify their contract while simultaneously helping the team win more games.
Next up at #6, we have Left Tackle, Braxton Jones.
Now listen.
Let me get it out of the way right now, that Braxton Jones is not making too much this coming season. $3,575,000 is his 2025 cap hit, which is 18th on the team, to be exact. That is beyond fair for a starting LT in this league.
But make no bones about it, how he plays in this, his contract year, will do more for his bank account than any other year of his life to this point. More plays like this wouldn’t hurt.
After starting every game his rookie season, which is a phenomenal feat to be certain, he has missed a minimum of 5 games in each of the last two seasons. Availability is a familiar sticking point amongst my fellow WCG’ers within this community, and rightfully so. We all saw what happened last year when our backup LT’s were forced into action and I am very confident that I speak for everyone reading this page that we all hope that never happens again.
Braxton Jones is a solid football player. Depending on whichever metric you choose, he’s right there in the middle of the pack for a starting LT. Easily Ryan Poles best value draft pick thus far in his career. But with a new head coach who has grown dependent upon a stellar offensive line, solid AND available is the bare minimum.
If Jones can stay healthy and continue building on his anchor strength, something we have seen improvement on since his rookie year, I like his chances at sticking around. But if he misses more time or continues to show weakness as a pass blocker, I do not expect Braxton to remain a Bear past 2025, nor do I expect him to make nearly as much money as he would...
