Why the Bears Pursuing Travis Etienne Doesn’t Add Up
Every NFL offseason brings its fair share of eyebrow-raising rumors, and one of the latest has the Chicago Bears reportedly eyeing Jaguars running back Travis Etienne in free agency. On the surface, adding a dynamic playmaker like Etienne might seem like a splashy move. But dig a little deeper, and the logic behind this potential pairing starts to unravel-quickly.
Let’s start with the financials. The Jaguars are staring down a projected negative cap space of $21.9 million, per Over The Cap.
That’s a tough spot to be in, and it’s likely they’ll have to make some painful decisions, including potentially letting Etienne walk. But here’s the twist: the Bears aren’t exactly flush with cash either.
Their own cap situation is nearly as tight, sitting at a projected minus $17.3 million. So, if Chicago’s front office is thinking about making a move for Etienne, it’s not just a luxury-it’s a financial puzzle that doesn’t quite fit.
Now, let’s talk football. The Bears already have a productive back in D’Andre Swift, who just wrapped up a strong 2025 campaign with 1,087 rushing yards and a healthy 4.9 yards per carry.
Etienne, for all his explosiveness, finished with a slightly higher yardage total at 1,107 but did so with less efficiency. That’s not a knock on Etienne-he’s a talented back-but when you’re comparing two players with nearly identical production, efficiency matters.
And Swift has the edge.
Then there’s the contract situation. Swift is set to count $7.4 million against the cap in 2026.
Cutting or trading him would free up that same $7.4 million. But here’s the kicker: Etienne is projected to command around $6.8 million on the open market.
So, even if the Bears moved on from Swift, they’d be saving less than $1 million by replacing him with Etienne. That’s a marginal cap benefit at best-and it comes at the cost of losing a player who’s already proven he can produce in Chicago’s system.
And it’s not just about Swift. The Bears have something brewing in their backfield with the Swift-Kyle Monangai tandem.
Monangai flashed promise in his rookie season, and the expectation is that he could take a big step forward in Year 2. That kind of internal development is exactly what cap-strapped teams need-young, ascending talent on rookie deals.
Breaking up that pairing to bring in Etienne, who would cost nearly as much as Swift without offering a clear upgrade, doesn’t make much sense.
Even in the passing game-where Etienne has shown flashes in the past-Swift held his own in 2025, finishing with more receiving yards on two fewer receptions. So if the argument is that Etienne would bring more versatility or explosiveness, the numbers just don’t back it up.
The bottom line? The Bears don’t need to chase a name when they already have a productive, balanced backfield that helped drive their offense last season.
Swift is entering the final year of his deal, sure-but that’s no reason to force a change. If anything, the Bears should ride out his contract, let Monangai continue to develop, and reassess in 2027 with more cap flexibility and a clearer picture of their backfield future.
Right now, the smart play is the simple one: stick with what’s working. Swift isn’t just a good fit-he’s a productive, cost-effective player who’s earned his spot. And unless something drastically changes, Travis Etienne shouldn’t be on Chicago’s radar this offseason.