The Chicago Bears might start Dayo Odeyingbo at edge rusher despite his disastrous 2025 season. This choice looks wrong when you stare at the raw numbers from last year. Austin Booker posted 35 tackles and 4.5 sacks in just 10 games. Odeyingbo managed only 21 tackles and a single sack in eight games.
So why would the team pick the less productive player? The answer is simple and cold. It comes down to the money. The Bears guaranteed Odeyingbo $31 million when they signed him to a three-year, $48 million deal. According to Windy City Gridiron, this contract gives Odeyingbo the fourth-highest cap hit on the team this year.
The Price of a Guarantee
NFL teams often let players earn their paychecks even when performance dips. The Bears are likely to let Odeyingbo play to justify that large sum. Per Windy City Gridiron, the team can and almost certainly will cut him after this season. But they’ll allow him to play first. This financial logic overrides the on-field stats.
Booker is young and hungry. He’s definitely on the upswing. If the Bears cared only about who played best last year, Booker would be the starter. The source notes that it feels like a virtual certainty Booker should start if all things were equal. But money talks in this league.
Achilles Concerns
Odeyingbo faces a huge physical hurdle this training camp. He’s coming off a tear to his Achilles tendon. Most players aren’t the same after such an injury for at least a year. If Odeyingbo is less effective than last year, he becomes unplayable. The situation is even more complicated because this is his second career Achilles tear.
Media reports can’t agree on whether it was the same leg or different legs. Regardless of the specific leg, a second tear is rarely a good sign. The risk is high. Yet the financial commitment remains the driving force. The team invested heavily and needs to see a return on that investment.
Booker missed time with an injury too. He didn’t work his way back to the active roster until November 2nd. That was the same day Odeyingbo tore his Achilles and went down for the year. Their paths crossed briefly before diverging again. Now they face each other for the starting spot.
Why This Matters
Bears fans want to see the best players on the field. They want to see Montez Sweat and his partner dominate the edge. The team has questions about the defensive line. Grady Jarrett and Gervon Dexter seem set as the top two tackles. Neville Gallimore looks like the third tackle. But the edge spot opposite Sweat is the real battle.
Watching Odeyingbo play while he recovers is a gamble. If he can’t move well, the defense suffers. If he struggles, the team wasted a chance to develop Booker. The source material suggests the team will allow him to earn his money. This means fans might see a player who isn’t fully healthy. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a fan base.
The outcome of this camp battle will define the pass rush. A healthy Odeyingbo could be a force. A struggling one could hurt the whole unit. The Bears have to decide if the guaranteed cash is worth the risk. Time will tell if the money talks louder than the stats. For now, the guarantee seems to be the only thing that matters.
