Braxton Jones
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Braxton Jones explained why he re-signed with the Bears in free agency
The Chicago Bears have followed up their breakout campaign in 2025 by watching several of their key players from last season depart in free agency. In a surprise turn, though, one guy who has ended up sticking around is offensive lineman Braxton Jones, despite the fact that he lost his starting job at left tackle to Ozzy Trapilo last year.
It seemed like a safe bet to assume that Jones would attempt to find a starting gig with another team in the league, but instead, he put pen to paper on a one-year, $5 million contract with the Bears, even though there’s no guarantee he will be a starter in 2026. It’s a surprising decision for sure, and it’s one that Jones recently explained now that his deal is officially in the books.
Braxton Jones Explains Decision to Return to the Bears
A fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Jones surprisingly won the Bears’ starting left tackle job as a rookie, and he more than held his own. However, over the past few years, Jones’ play gradually dipped to the point where the starting job was an open competition entering the 2025 campaign.
While Jones initially won the starting job, he was quickly benched in favor of Trapilo in Week 4. Trapilo would hold down the fort for the rest of the year, but he suffered a knee injury in the playoffs that is expected to hold him out for most, if not all, of the 2026 campaign. As a result, the Bears are once again going to be holding an open competition at left tackle once training camp rolls around.
That’s where Jones factors into the picture for Chicago. He may not be the team’s preferred starter at left tackle should Trapilo return, but he is familiar with the team’s offense, and at the very least, he’d be a passable option for the Bears in the interim. With a chance to reclaim his starting job on the table, Jones revealed that it played a big role in his decision to re-sign with the team.
“When it came down to it, the Bears in the situation we have here is the best for myself,” Jones told Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. “I’m not choosing comfortability but knowing I’ve been here for the last four years … putting that all into the picture kind of made the decision itself … Being able to re-sign with the Bears for another year and just the opportunity that is presented is amazing. I’m extremely grateful. I’m excited to show that I can go out and be full go.”
Who Will Braxton Jones Be Competing with for Starting Left Tackle Job?
Braxton Jones Replacement Isaiah World Bears Mock Draft
GettyBears left tackle Braxton Jones.
Just because Jones is back in town doesn’t mean he’s going to be Chicago’s starting left tackle next season: after all, there’s a reason he got benched in the first place. Theo Benedet and Kiran Amegadjie, who also competed for the starting job last year, are expected to factor into the mix, as is Jedrick Wills, who signed a one-year, $1.215 million contract with the Bears in free agency.
Wills is an intriguing option, as he’s a former first-round pick who has looked solid when he’s been on the field. The problem is that injury issues have limited him to just 13 total games over the past three years, and he didn’t suit up at all in 2025. The competition will likely come down to Jones and Wills, but as the 2025 campaign showed, just because you win the starting job, it doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to hold onto the position for the rest of the year.