The Chicago Bears will be one of the most active teams in the guard market when NFL free agency begins next week, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler expects San Francisco 49ers starter Aaron Banks to be among their top priorities.
Fowler recently dished on all the buzz and intel he heard at the NFL Scouting Combine and confirmed what many fans have assumed for months: that the Bears have plans to sign at least one interior offensive lineman to help protect quarterback Caleb Williams.
Frankly, Chicago will have no other choice but to fortify the interior of their line with all three starters from last season — Teven Jenkins (left guard), Coleman Shelton (center) and Matt Pryor (right guard) — bound for unrestricted free agency without new deals.
More insightful, though, are the priority names that Fowler wrote are “on the radar” for the Bears as they prepare for the start of negotiations, including the left guard Banks.
“The sense is Chicago will sign at least one interior offensive lineman,” Fowler wrote. “Drew Dalman, 49ers guard Aaron Banks and Colts guard Will Fries are among players on the radar. Like Dalman, Banks and Fries are in line for sizable contracts. Guards dominated free agency last year and will do well once again.”
Aaron Banks Could Push for Top-10 Contract at Guard
Banks could receive a nice payday in his first venture into NFL free agency.
The 2021 second-round pick (No. 48 overall) has started 43 games at guard over the past four seasons with the 49ers and steadily improved as a run-blocker, demonstrating an impressive ability to get into the second level despite his size (6-foot-5, 325 pounds).
According to Pro Football Focus, Banks also allowed just one sack and four quarterback hits on 471 pass-blocking snaps in 2024 while protecting quarterback Brock Purdy.
As a result, Banks could benefit financially from the weaker free-agent guard market. Spotrac projects he will sign a three-year, $29.1 million contract — or $9.7 million annually — but he could push for upwards of $10 million to land in the top-10 guards.
The Bears have nearly $80 million in cap space to consider paying him, but they may also desire more security at the position than Banks is capable of offering them.
While Banks is one of the top guards coming available, he has also never played a full 17-game slate in his four seasons. He missed just one start in 2022, but he has missed at least two games in each of the past two seasons, including four in 2024.
Considering the Bears are likely to move on from Jenkins at left guard for the same availability concerns, Banks may become more of a fallback plan than a priority plan.
Could Bears Hedge Bets With Aaron Banks & Draft Pick?
One way Banks could make more sense for the Bears is if they are planning to hedge their bets and draft another guard to compete with him for the starting job.
The Bears will almost certainly invest one of their draft picks into their offensive line. But if they also sign three veteran interior offensive linemen in free agency, they can pit their rookie and their veteran — Banks, in this case — against each other at left guard and ensure they have the best starter in the role keeping Williams safe in 2025.
The Bears will certainly have guards to choose from in the draft. While a top-10 pick is a little rich for a guard, they could either trade back further into the round for someone like Alabama’s Tyler Booker or prioritize the position in the second round with the Nos. 39 and 41 picks, maybe even doubling up on offensive linemen with those selections.
Banks is a bit of a risk on his own, but the Bears can thwart their concerns if they make him earn his starting job against Booker or Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea.
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