The Chicago Bears defense has played as one of the league’s top unit in 2023 thanks to the play of their young rising stars and a league’s Pro Bowl roster announcement reflects that in a big way, however one name was left out.
Bears safety Jaquan Brisker was not selected as one of the NFC’s Pro Bowl defenders despite having the third-most fan votes at the strong safety position. Cardinals safety Budda Baker, Seahawks safety Julian Love and Falcons safety Jessie Bates instead received nominations.
The Bears had two defenders selected to the Pro Bowl, defensive end Montez Sweat and cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who each received the honors for the first time in their career.
Brisker missed out on a huge 2025 bonus with Pro Bowl snub
The Bears second-year safety’s snub from the 2023 Pro Bowl comes with even more bad news for the young defensive back. As a former second-round pick, Brisker’s could have earned a big raise in the future for his fourth year of his rookie deal in 2025 through the NFL’s Proven Performance Escalators (PPE).
You can read up on how PPEs all work, here, but the one that could have applied to Brisker’s 2025 salary is the Level Three escalator, which involves Pro Bowl selections.
An eligible player selected in the second through seventh rounds will qualify for the Level Three Proven Performance Escalator in his fourth League Year if he was selected to one or more Pro Bowls on the original ballot in any of his first three seasons. – NFL CBA
Brisker’s base salary for 2025, his fourth year of his rookie deal, is currently $1,708,029 according to Over the Cap. The Level Three PPE “will raise the base salary to the amount of the 2nd round RFA tender”, per OTC. Right now, OTC projects second-round RFA tenders at $4.633 million in 2024.
Therefore, if the RFA tender remains the same in 2025 (although it’s bound to likely increase), Brisker could have gotten at least a $2,924,971 bonus on his base salary during his fourth year had he been selected.
It’s an unfortunate outcome for a player who has certainly deserved a nomination after his play this season. Brisker has totaled 97 combined tackles, nine pass deflections and one interception for the Bears while becoming a true leader in the secondary.
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