Kyler Gordon has always had health concerns surrounding him. He had never played a full season for the Chicago Bears through his first three years in the league. Sadly, things took a nosedive in 2025 as a series of soft tissue problems landed him on Injured Reserve not once but twice. The Bears placed him there again, ending his regular season with just three appearances. He may return for the playoffs if Chicago gets that far. Outside of that, his year is over. Not only is it frustrating for him, but it leaves the organization in a tricky spot.
Everybody knows the saying by now. The best ability is availability. Gordon has not been that. As good of a player as he is, it's getting to the point where the Bears can't trust him anymore. GM Ryan Poles must consider his options carefully going into 2025. Here are the three most plausible outcomes.
1. Keep him as the starter next season in hopes this year was bad luck.
This is the easiest path to take. Chicago paid Gordon a substantial amount of money in his new contract extension to be the focal point of their defense. He's still young. Perhaps a new training staff and better conditioning program may better protect him against these issues in the future.
2. Keep him, but draft direct competition.
If we're talking the most sensible path for the Bears, it's this one. They allow Gordon to stay while they look to the draft to bring in some depth at potential competition. This way, the corner still has a chance to prove he is a long-term solution while the Bears get themselves some insurance.
3. Trade him
This depends on how much the Bears believe he can be salvaged. If they aren't convinced his body can hold up, a trade is their only option to get that contract off the books. Such a move would come with a $7.5 million dead cap hit, but it would at least give them some future breathing space as they hunt for a replacement.
Kyler Gordon controls his own fate.
It would be one thing if these were ligament or bone injuries. You can't really control that. Soft tissue problems speak to a poor conditioning regimen. Not all of that is on Kyler Gordon. The Bears' training staff deserves some blame as well. Ben Johnson may have to think about overhauling that group next offseason. Either way, Gordon must take control of his fate. His credibility inside Halas Hall is fading. As good as he is on the field, he's not there enough to justify the money this team is paying him. Gordon must find a way to keep himself healthy. Otherwise, he'll endure the same fate as many great athletes who watched their careers fizzle out because of constant injuries.
