Bears' most overpaid player is $48 million edge with ridiculous 2026 cap hit

The Chicago Bears are one of the top Super Bowl contenders in the NFC after their impressive breakout season under head coach Ben Johnson in 2025.

To further grow as a team, the Bears are going to not only need to see more development from Caleb Williams and the offense, but also for their pass rush to finally get home.

One of those pass rushers, according to Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon, is Chicago's most overpaid player. Dayo Odeyingbo is making $48 million on his deal with a ridiculous $20.5 million cap hit in 2026.

Dayo Odeyingbo most overpaid Bears player

"The Bears gave Odeyingbo a three-year, $48 million deal last offseason in hopes that he'd take another step forward after back-to-back promising campaigns in Indy," Gagnon writes. "But he struggled in his first eight games, registering just one sack and two tackles for loss before suffering a torn Achilles tendon in Week 9. Far from ideal for a guy who will count $20.5 million against the cap in 2026."

Chicago has a few players that could be considered overpaid on the roster, with Cole Kmet being one of them. But no player is more of an overpay than Odeyingbo.

Even if the Bears get a motivated Odeyingbo in 2026, they will need a whole lot more production out of him than they got in 2025, regardless of injury.

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This contract has already aged incredibly poorly for Ryan Poles and the Bears, and would surely be something the Bears wish they could undo with their limited cap space.

The 26-year-old edge rusher had eight sacks in 2023 and three in 2024. This $48 million deal was already an overpay the moment it was signed.

But now, after he's missed half a season and struggled in his time on the field in 2025 for the Bears, it's not a surprise that Gagnon pointed to this deal being the biggest overpay on the roster.

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