The veteran safety says Chicago feels right, and praises the Bears’ culture, leadership, and belief that they’re built to win.
Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard wants to stay in the Windy City.
Byard had a career year with the Bears, leading the league in interceptions with 7 and earning First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections for the third time in his 10-year career; he was also one of the leaders of a Bears team that advanced to the Divisional Round of the playoffs just one year after going 5–12.
As the Bears players cleaned out their lockers on Monday, Byard expressed his interest in returning for another run.
“I would love to be back here,” he said. “When [general manager Ryan] Poles came and got me last year, I had had a tough couple years, just personally. But then obviously, just with getting traded and all that stuff and coming here, I wanted to be able to prove that I was still that guy that I always been in my career. And I think I’ve done that the past couple of years.”
Byard was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft and spent his first seven seasons with the Titans; he led the league in interceptions with 8 in 2017, earning both All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections that year; he earned both honors again in 2021. Midway through his eighth season, he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. He signed with the Bears in the 2024 offseason.
Byard told reporters that he had just come out of a meeting with Poles and head coach Ben Johnson. He said that both he and Bears leadership expressed “mutual interest” in him returning, but he ultimately has no control over it. He also anticipated that many of the Bears’ free agents would be coveted by other teams because of their success this season.
Byard put that success down to the culture Johnson had set up. He pointed to Chicago’s comeback wins over the Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings. He also shouted out cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who fought through a core muscle injury that required surgery to come back and play for the team. He expressed his regret that the team was not celebrating a playoff win.
He then credited Johnson directly.
“Obviously, he’s the man in charge, and I think I’ve said this from day one. Chicago, the Bears, they got the right guy leading this team. He did a phenomenal job this year,” he said. “I think we all kind of knew when Ben came in as the head coach about his offensive play-calling and how good the offense was going to be, but I think just the accountability tone that was set from day one, with the tough training camp that we had, I think he just did a phenomenal job this year.”
Byard said the Bears had a talented roster this season, and more importantly, have their franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams. With the head coach and quarterback duo, and Williams’s continued development, he said Chicago is likely to be a destination for incoming free agents as well.
Having been on the Titans squad that went to the AFC Championship in 2019, Byard knows what winning looks like, and said the Bears have the blueprint for sustained success. He noted that it would be difficult to make another run, but said that the city and the fanbase deserve to see winning football after years of futility.
The 33-year-old Byard does not have many opportunities left in his career. As such, his priority is playing for a winning squad and leaving a legacy greater than his individual accomplishments. He recognized that the team would ultimately do what is best, and he wanted to do the same for himself and his family.
“I think my first option would be [to] come back here at Chicago and kind of finish what we got started this year,” he said.
“I just enjoy this locker room. I enjoy this team. I enjoy being the leader. I enjoy being able to break the huddles down before the games. This is a lot of fun. This is who I am. I really enjoyed this season. Like I said, I would love to be back.”
