Jaquan Brisker didn’t need a long message to remind Bears fans what he meant to the franchise.
The former Chicago safety posted a short video on Instagram and paired it with a simple note that landed exactly the way you’d expect from a player who spent four seasons bringing the wood in the secondary:
“Soldier I love you! 🫶🏹🏹”
That kind of message hits differently because Brisker’s run in Chicago was never about flash. He arrived as a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and immediately became part of the Bears’ defensive core. Over four years, he started 52 games, including at least 15 in three seasons, and the one year he fell short was the concussion-shortened campaign that cost him 12 games.
Brisker’s stat line shows how much he did across the board: 342 tackles, 41 pass deflections, 12 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits, seven sacks, four interceptions, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. But his reputation in Chicago was built just as much on the tone he set as on the numbers he piled up. He was the guy delivering the hits that stuck in the memory.
The Bears, though, moved on. They chose not to re-sign Brisker or fellow starting safety Kevin Byard this offseason, part of a defense that saw major turnover.
Chicago lost five key players in the secondary and also let linebacker Tremaine Edmunds go. Four of those five defensive backs had started at one point last season, leaving the Bears with a major hole to fill.
Instead of bringing Brisker back, the Bears went younger at safety. They signed former Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl champion Coby Bryant and used a first-round pick on Dillon Thieneman, signaling a clear shift toward more consistency in coverage.
That area was part of the reason Brisker’s Chicago tenure had its rough patches. Over the last two seasons, he allowed a 75% completion percentage in coverage in both years.
Still, that doesn’t erase what he gave the Bears. He may not have become the breakout star some fans hoped for, but he was a key piece of the roster during an important stretch for the franchise. And now he’s headed to Pittsburgh, where he signed to become the Steelers’ new starting safety.
The Bears have moved on, and Brisker should help the Steelers in 2026. But that Instagram message was a reminder that, for plenty of Chicago fans, he’ll always be one of theirs.
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