The Chicago Bears have a $15M decision to make on Dayo Odeyingbo at the end of this year, and right now it is hard to see them going any other way than letting him go. That is why Jacob Infante of Pro Football Network labeled him as the player on the Bears under the most pressure in 2026.
Chicago Bears edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo faces immense pressure
The team signed Odeyingbo to a three-year, $48M deal last offseason. However, with only $29.5M in guaranteed salary, it was effectively a two-year deal with a third year being an option.
Odeyingbo got off to a slow start in 2025 and then suffered an Achilles injury that ended his season. Now, he enters 2026 in a make-or-break campaign as his next year is not guaranteed.
The Bears could let him go after this season and save $15M in salary cap space. They would have to eat $4.5M in dead cap space, but that is much more salvageable than paying him $19.5M.
So, for Odeyingbo to keep his status with the Bears, he is going to need to prove that he can live up to that $15M difference.
That is a high bar for any player, let alone one coming off a significant injury. Every game he is available will matter as the Bears evaluate his future.
This would already be tough, but now he is coming back from the injury. The injury was suffered late enough in the season that he is not a sure thing for Week 1. Even if he were, the odds of him being in football shape by that point would be hard.
So, the Bears are going to ease him during the first half of the season. That puts even more pressure on his second half, as he has to put up big numbers.
Odeyingbo produced eight sacks in 2023, which was a career high. While he did not have as many sacks in 2024, he did produce a career-high 42 pressures. However, the Bears signed him, expecting to get more from him than he was producing in the past.
So, the team is looking for more than eight sacks or 42 pressures before it can seriously consider bringing him back. With one sack and 10 pressures through eight games last year, and the challenges ahead of him, that might be asking for a lot. This will add pressure.
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