CHICAGO — The Bears cleared more than $10 million in cap room before making their first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, restructuring the contracts of Jonah Jackson and Cole Kmet and then using the space to select Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman at No. 25 overall.
The moves came after Chicago had less than $1 million in cap space, a squeeze that left little margin as the draft began. By converting salary into bonuses, the Bears created $10.375 million to help absorb incoming rookie contracts while keeping their draft board moving.
Jackson’s deal was adjusted first. He had $13.5 million of salary converted into a bonus, which cut his cap hit by $6.75 million to $12.75 million for this year, but pushed his 2027 cap number up to $23.75 million. Kmet’s restructure followed the same pattern, with $7.65 million of salary turned into a bonus and his cap number reduced by $3.825 million to $7.775 million for the year. His cap number next season is now $15.425 million, and 2027 remains the final year of his contract.
That is the tradeoff Chicago accepted to get through the draft with enough breathing room. The Bears were described as being in a salary cap crisis before the restructures, and the new space was needed to manage the rookie pool after the Thieneman pick.
There may be more moves ahead. With two second-round picks and one third-round pick still waiting on Day 2, Chicago has room now, but not much cushion, and the front office may not be done reshaping the roster to fit what remains of the draft.
