3 Bears who won’t be back in 2024 after surviving trade deadline

Cody Whitehair, OL

As several contenders could use an extra veteran on the offensive line, I was a bit surprised to see the Bears not part ways with Cody Whitehair.

Taken in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the Kansas State alum has been steady for Chicago for eight seasons now and was a Pro Bowler in 2018.

But while Whitehair might be a good fit for this 2023 squad, that likely won't be the case moving forward as the team looks to get younger pretty much everywhere. The Nebraska native will be 32 when the 2024 season begins, which isn't ideal.

Also not ideal is the fact that Whitehair is currently set to be the Bears' fourth-highest-paid player next year, behind only Tremaine Edmunds, Eddie Jackson, and D.J. Moore.

But here's the thing. If he remains on the roster next season, which is the final year of his current contract, the salary cap hit is $13.25 million. But if the Bears were to release Whitehair, the dead cap hit is just $4.104 million. They could also obviously attempt to trade him during the offseason.

Either way, I don't expect him to be in a Bears uniform next year, as I see Chicago using some of that draft capital to bring in his replacement.