With NFL free agency opening this week, the moves have been fast and furious, with the NFC North being as active as any division. The Green Bay Packers haven't made any splashes, but they are keeping a close eye on what their rivals are doing, and one loss suffered by the Chicago Bears should have Packers wideouts jumping for joy.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that safety Kevin Byard is signing a one-year, $9 million deal with the New England Patriots. Shortly after the signing, NFL Insider Josina Anderson revealed she was on the phone with Byard, and the newest Patriot defender shared, "It was either Bears or the Patriots, and you know I have a relationship with Coach Vrabes; and New England it is..."
Despite Chicago's success this past season and its overall trajectory, Byard's decision to leave the Bears to sign with New England is great news for the Packers in 2026.
Kevin Byard Leaving Bears Is Great News for the Packers
Byard was with the Bears for the last two seasons, and he was a massive ball hawk for this defense in 2025. In 17 games, Byard racked up 93 total tackles, eight pass breakups, and an NFL-high seven interceptions. Those numbers rightfully earned him First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.
Considering how well Byard played in Chicago last year, leaving the conference altogether is welcome news for Cheeseheads everywhere. Seeing the reigning division champ lose a turnover-producing machine over the top will only help Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, and the rest of Green Bay's receiver room in their pivotal matchups against Chicago in 2026.
The fact that Byard's departure only added to the secondary's losses, as cornerback Nahshon Wright also left to join the New York Jets, sets up Jordan Love and this passing attack for success. Chicago's secondary has now lost 12 combined interceptions in those two departures.
In addition to that, it doesn't seem like Jaquan Brisker will be back either, and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune thinks the Bears will look to the NFL draft as their outlet to add more players at safety.
Matt LaFleur and the coaching staff in Green Bay should be thrilled with that idea, as its rival would be going from an All-Pro safety down to a rookie looking to get acclimated to NFL speed. This is exactly what you fans want to see happening in Chicago.
Watson, Reed, Golden, and Love are by far some of the biggest winners from this move, as the Bears' secondary got markedly worse on Wednesday. In the wild-card round loss to Chicago, Love had 323 passing yards with four passing touchdowns and zero interceptions. Green Bay's QB was able to torch that secondary when it featured playmakers like Wright and Byard, so what do Chicago's coaches think will happen now that it doesn't have its All-Pro safety over the top?
The fact that Byard decided to skip town and reunite with his former head coach, Mike Vrabel, makes this news even sweeter for Packers fans, and tougher to swallow for Bears supporters. This is exactly how Green Bay wanted things to pan out for the Bears and couldn't have asked for a better outcome.