NEWSLETTER
Football is fun. But it is undeniably *MORE* fun when a player like Kyler Gordon is Mic’d Up for a game.
The Chicago Bears cornerback was given the Mic’d Up treatment for the team’s Week 13 game against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. Sure, the Bears lost and served up yet another disappointment. But the same can’t be said about Gordon, who was fun to follow in this installment of the weekly feature:
What does Kyler Gordon’s future with the Bears look like?
Kyler Gordon is having a solid season for the Bears. The 24-year-old cornerback has appeared in 10 of the team’s 12 games this season. And while he does not have an interception this year, Gordon has still contributed with 0.5 sacks, 50 total tackles (32 solo), 3 tackles-for-loss, 1 quarterback hit, and 2 fumble recoveries. Pro Football Focus grades Gordon as the NFL’s 15th-highest-graded cornerback. Gordon’s 73.8 grade is better than standout corners such as Devon Witherspoon, Denzel Ward, Christian Gonzelez, Sauce Gardner, and even teammate Jaylon Johnson. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in that CBs room during film study.
WATCH: Mic’d Up Kyler Gordon
I think I can understand why PFF’s analytics think highly of Kyler Gordon. The University of Washington product ranks in the top 10 among cornerbacks in assists (2nd), stops (5th), and total pressures (3rd). He also ranks among the top third in pass breakups (26th). It stinks that Gordon hasn’t collected an interception yet. But he chips in on defense in a variety of ways, so it’s not as if his impact isn’t being felt.
Kyler Gordon was the first-ever draft pick of the Ryan Poles era. The Bears general manager could have gone in several different directions with that first selection, but snagging Gordon seems to be paying off. And it makes me wonder what Gordon’s future looks like in Chicago.
The third-year cornerback will play his first game under a new head coach on Sunday with Thomas Brown taking over for Matt Eberflus on an interim basis. Gordon will also be playing for a new defensive play-caller for the first time in his career. I wonder what Defensive Coordinator Eric Washington has in store for Gordon now that he is calling the shots on defense. These next five games could be fascinating to follow for more than the obvious reasons.
BN THROWBACK: Remember When Kyler Gordon Was Hit With a Taunting Penalty For Showing Off His Broken Helmet?
I don’t know where extending Kyler Gordon will be on the Bears’ priority list this offseason. But I do know that Gordon is extension-eligible when the 2024 season comes to an end. History suggests it is usually better to jump the market with an extension offer than it is to wait it out and let other teams set the market. Chicago’s front office did well to lock in Jaylon Johnson to an extension early in the offseason last year. Could lightning strike twice with Kyler? I wish I knew the answer to that question. But my gut says it would behoove the Bears to explore it if there is a mutual interest in getting something done.
For what it’s worth, the Chicago Bears are projected to be more than $82 million under what the folks at OverTheCap.com project to be a $272.5 million salary cap in 2025. That should give the team ample room for new contracts (ideally for some impact offensive line upgrades) and reward players already on the roster with extensions. Pegging players for extensions can be a fool’s errand. However, it is worth noting that the Buffalo Bills gave Taron Johnson a three-year extension last offseason worth $31 million. The deal made Johnson the NFL’s highest-paid nickel cornerback. In other words, paying Kyler Gordon at the top of the market isn’t the type of thing that would limit Chicago’s financial flexibility.
In the end, I realize it might be too early to go too deep on this topic. But Kyler Gordon has been playing well and deserves his shine. First, by way of a Mic’d Up feature. What’s next? Only time will tell…
