Bears 2024 free agency profile: Will Chicago make push for Antoine Winfield Jr.?

NFL free agency is just around the corner, where the Chicago Bears have plenty of players set to hit the open market and other veterans around the league who will certainly be of interest for Bears general manager Ryan Poles.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going through some key free agents — both in-house and potential targets from other teams — breaking down their 2023 performance and whether or not they fit in the Bears’ long-term plans.

This time we venture over to the defensive side of the ball and examine standout Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr., the son of former All-Pro cornerback Antoine Winfield. Winfield Jr. hit the ground running when he first entered the league in 2020, quickly earning a starting safety spot with Tampa Bay and proceeded to demonstrate eye-popping athleticism and a proficiency in bringing down ball carriers.

His resounding success as a rookie turned out to be no fluke; he quickly asserted himself as one of the game’s best safeties, earning a Pro Bowl berth in 2021 and an All-Pro nod in 2023. Winfield Jr. touts a lethal set of skills and, with the Bears parting ways with the, at one time, promising safety Eddie Jackson, Chicago will be urgently looking to fill the open free safety position this offseason. Let’s dive into Winfield Jr’s. profile and determine whether the Bears will pay him top dollar to be an integral piece of a rising defense.