Just before the 2026 season opener, the Chicago Bears settled one of their bigger offseason storylines. D’Andre Swift‘s 2026 season will not be a contract year after all, since he and the team agreed to a three-year, $33.75 million extension. The deal runs through 2029.
The numbers
The reported figure included $27.5 million in guarantees, and the extension raises Swift’s average annual salary by more than $3 million. He had been playing on the three-year, $24 million contract he signed with Chicago in March 2024.
The guarantee figure depends on the source. Over The Cap lists $26 million guaranteed, with $20.5 million as new money. It puts the amount fully guaranteed at signing at $19.19 million, including an $8 million signing bonus and his 2026 and 2027 salaries. The gap probably comes down to what counts as guaranteed at signing versus guaranteed by a later date.
Why the Bears did it
Swift has been a steady piece of the offense. Last season he ran for a career-high 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns, and Chicago ranked third in the NFL in rushing yards per game on the way to an NFC North title and a Divisional Round appearance. He has started all 33 of his regular-season games with the team. He is also reunited with a familiar coach. Swift and head coach Ben Johnson first worked together with the Detroit Lions, who drafted Swift in the second round in 2020.
General manager Ryan Poles pointed to how Swift handled a contract year. In the team’s announcement, Poles said Swift’s work ethic and connection with teammates never wavered through the offseason and camp, which he called difficult for a player in the last year of his deal.
A cap-friendly structure
The extension also fits the Bears’ cap situation. Chicago restructured the deals of Joe Thuney, Dayo Odeyingbo and T.J. Edwards, freeing about $17 million for 2026 and getting the team under the cap. That gave them room to extend Swift before the season began. It followed a busy summer of extensions, including a four-year, $116 million deal for right tackle Darnell Wright.
Analysts say the structure leans toward the team. Over The Cap’s numbers suggest the deal is essentially a one-year extension in 2027, with a $9.8 million base salary and a $12.5 million cap number. If things go sideways, the Bears could cut Swift in 2028, saving $8.5 million in cap space at about $4 million in dead money. The same analysis notes that the contract keeps Swift in the top half of running backs by pay, though not the top 10. That matters in this year’s running back market. Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson and Jonathan Taylor all signed new deals over the summer.
The early returns
Swift wasted little time. In Week 1 against the Panthers, he had a career-best three-touchdown game. One game proves little. Still, it was a strong first return on a deal the Bears hope keeps their ground game near the top of the league.
The bottom line
Swift gets more money, more security and a spot in the offense through his age-30 season. Chicago keeps a productive back its coaches and teammates value, and it holds an exit ramp if his production slips. Both sides came out ahead.
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