Extending nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon was one of the Bears’ top priorities heading into the offseason. Sunday night, they gave him a three-year, $40 million deal with $31.25 million guaranteed, a source confirmed.
The deal makes Gordon the highest-paid slot cornerback in the NFL in terms of annual salary. The deal adds three years onto this upcoming season, the last one in his rookie contract. In three seasons, he has totaled five interceptions, two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, one-and-a-half sacks and four quarterback hits.
Last month, Gordon said he wasn’t worried about the deal getting done.
“It’s just all about doing it right,” he said. “I’m not really pressed for time, whether it’s here now or later. I think it’s just about doing right and being fair about it. …
“I love Chicago. I love everything about it — the people, the history, the team, the community, so if this is where God tells me to be, this is where I will be, this is where I want to be.”
Poles said earlier this month that extending Gordon was important for the Bears, who enter next week’s draft with all 11 defensive starters — provided they continue to play nickel defense most of the time — in place.
“I know Kyler is a guy that we want to be a part of this moving forward,” Poles said at the NFL’s annual meeting. “So the timing of that, I’m not sure how that all is going work out, but that is a priority.”
Poles said he told players at their exit meetings in January that he would make contract extension decisions based in part on the input of the new coaches. New defensive coordinator Dennis Allen values Gordon as much as former head coach Matt Eberflus did.
“I have a vision for how we can utilize him,” Allen said in January. “I think the foundation for what we want to do is there, and then I’m just excited about finally getting these guys in here and us having the opportunity to work with him and see exactly what we have. And then we have to be creative with how we want to do things.”
Gordon was Poles’ first-ever draft pick when he was chosen in the second round out of Washington in 2022. The Bears have been impressed by his development as a coverage player and a pass rusher. Now he’ll join Jaylon Johnson as Bears cornerbacks with long-term deals.
“The business of his contract aside, Kyler is a very versatile player,” former defensive coordinator Eric Washington said in January. “Really good in the slot. He’s a good blitzer, really impactful blitzer. Really good at understanding some of our coverage concepts as an underneath defender. … He’s a well-rounded player, young, very versatile player, and he still has a lot of room to grow.”