Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Did the Bears even consider bringing back safety Jaquan Brisker?
13 Mar 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: Why did Jaquan Brisker leave the Bears for the Steelers?
Layla Rahimi, Marshall Harris, Mark Grody, Rahimi, Harrison, Grody on 104.3 The Score. Second down and five. End zone, picked off. Intercepted by Brisker. Samuel was the target and Brisker's out near the 35. That is the first pick of the year for Jake Daniels. That is courtesy of ESPN. This is Rahimi Harrison-Grody on 104.3 The Score.
And we will now take you back into a place we call the evidence locker room. It's like inside the locker room, but just different. And not to be confused with inside the clubhouse. That's a completely different show. So if you missed it, we talked about this earlier. Jaquan Brisker ends up signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a one-year contract. Now, Jaquan Brisker went to Penn State.
As we understand, Pittsburgh is the team he grew up cheering for. $5.5 million. He started all 17 games in 2025. But last year was a season where he only played in five because of concussion. And Mark, I think you and I are on the same page. Jaquan Brisker had a great game against the Rams in that final playoff game. He timed his exit brilliantly. And now he's with another team.
And for that price, it all got us wondering if possibly the Bears were going to be able to keep him or Kevin Bayard. Bayard goes to the Patriots when you're $9 million. But in looking back at this, were there other signs that Brisker may have not been here regardless?
Yeah, I don't think they were ever going to bring back Brisker, which in a way had to be a little bit difficult for Ryan Poles because he was part of his first draft class. He drafted... Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon in the second round, and I guess that would have been 2022, would have been Ryan Poles' first year.
So there is some sentimental value there, or I would assume that there is for him. And yeah, like as I think it was Finley that was saying, it's not like he was a speedster, but he was an enforcer. There was a fear factor with Brisker is what makes him a very valuable player. The other part of Jaquan Brisker,
And I said, Joquan Pritzker is one of my probably top five favorite polls bears on polls as watch just to talk to on and off the air. But he does talk a lot. He says things. And I'm talking about publicly that maybe, maybe if they needed something to push them over the edge, if it wasn't the concussions, which it very well could have been.
Very well could have been the five games, as you mentioned, that he only played in in the year prior to this past year. That could have been it. But I did start to think about the season and something that Jaquan Brisker said after the Detroit game, the second Detroit game, the last game of the season, I think it was. A 19-16 win for Detroit. Amon Ross, St. Brown goes off in that game.
The Bears lose the game, but let's listen back to what Jaquan Brisker said about Dennis Allen, essentially. Jalen said that they kind of used their strength against you, getting a lot of stuff in the middle of the field, their offense against your defense. Why were they able to get away with that so easily? We're playing a whole bunch of man today. No help in the middle. A lot of picks, rubs.
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Chapter 2: What impact did Brisker's signing have on the Bears' defense?
So, yeah, they just got us in the right car. They just out-schemed us, really. Just be honest. Direct, direct indictments. Direct hit. Direct hit. Casualties involved that he would say that they got out-schemed Dennis Allen. And I remember we got to that Thursday, and none of us, that includes me, I don't think anybody asked him about that because it was the playoffs, right?
I think that we were talking about at that point, going into the Green Bay game, so... It became a moot point that maybe we should have followed up on, but there's no way in hell that Dennis Allen didn't hear that. And of course, he's a human being. DA, if he heard that, could not have liked that, maybe even talked to Daquan Brisker about it.
I am not saying that that's the reason, but it might be the resume of talking that Daquan Brisker has done through the years. I'll never forget Daquan. Two years ago, the final game in Green Bay that the Bears lost and they were getting burned by Romeo Dobbs and all the 800-yard type receivers that Green Bay had and still has to some degree.
And I remember him just... I was part of a group of reporters talking to him at Lambeau Field. He went... off on how bad and weak the Packers that they basically paraphrasing that the receivers suck on Green Bay. There were several examples throughout his career where I'm guessing the Bears were like, we can't stop him from saying these things, but we don't particularly like it.
So while I don't know if it was the biggest reason, I think maybe there was some justifying moving on from Jaquan Brisker may have been part of Jaquan Brisker's words. Words hurt, Layla. What they do, before I have more evidence to support that theory with the words, was he wrong about Detroit in that game? No. He wasn't. He wasn't. But that's for us to say. No, it's not.
The players need to say more than we do. And by the way, if you heard my question right there, it was Jalen Johnson who said it first. Now, he didn't say out-schemed, but it was Jalen that put it in my ear, and that's why I took it to Daquan Brisker, who just straight up said we got out-schemed.
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Chapter 3: How did injuries affect Jaquan Brisker's performance last season?
I swear I thought the secondary must have been the place to be in the locker room last year. Yeah, I'm going to miss all those guys. They were a chatty bunch. They had a lot going on. I just feel like it was the place to be. You're right. C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Nashawn Wright was great. Yes. I mean, everybody...
obviously kevin byard kevin byard brisker telling you guys about how he made justin jefferson cry you know who was the like super cerebral smart guy who always kind of rolled his eyes over all those guys was one josh blackwell josh blackwell the duke guy over there like always was like i would walk over there and he would kind of give me the help me out with these guys will you because he was the level-headed guy i
Well, obviously, given my line of work, I love a man who can yap. And I just feel like all the secondary knew how to yap. It wasn't just trash talk. It was like genuine chatty conversation. So I appreciated that on a personal level. So but here's the thing. Brisker studies film. You know, that's the other part of this. I remember we asked him what he was doing during his bye week.
Chapter 4: What were the Bears' options regarding other safeties?
And I believe it was watching Lions film. Or the next opponent, maybe, who the Bears had at the time. He's a film guy. He talks about it. He talks about watching film. He talks about studying it. And when he says it, first of all, no lies detected. And then secondly, yeah, you're calling out your coaching staff, but you're also the one who has to execute it. So there's that part, too.
And the Bears were... They looked like they were on skates for a lot of that game, and then Amon Ross St. Brown's mocking them with the first down celebration. Amon Ross St. Brown in that game, 11 catches for 139 damn yards. I am pretty sure, pretty sure that Ben Johnson is still mad about that game. Oh, well, both of them. Man, the 50-burger, and then they didn't get revenge.
Now, as far as the words, let's go back to September 16th when Blake on Twitter at OT7 underscore Blake said, they got to let at Jaquan Brisker get up on the LOS is in the line of scrimmage and play in that backfield. DA got to take the chains off a nine. And then Jaquan Brisker replies and says, fax, use me.
Chapter 5: Why might the Bears have decided not to retain Brisker?
Yeah. Yeah. You know what? I'm so glad you brought up the social media part of this. I'm talking about things he said. But through the years, there's been some very direct quotes from him and some things that you have to try. The passive aggressive things you got. What? Where is Jaquan Brisker trying to say? You have to unlock me. Unlock me. It's basically what he said. Five more buttes for that.
At some point, the samples will have been switched. Switch the samples. Does Wayne Larrabee have a thought on any of the outgoing free agents? Not until there is something with Andrew Billings. Like, nothing has occurred. Is the Ed Block Courage Award winner? Of course he is! He's making cracks in the sidewalk as he walks! How dare you? It makes me really mad to hear that kind of stuff.
Well, we'll see what happens with Andrew Billings. Good for him. He wins the Ed Block Courage Award out at Hallas Hall and sounds like he is comfortable in his... Don't worry about Andrew Billings. He sounds like a guy who is good with whatever. I'm always worried about Andrew Billings. Don't worry about him. Don't worry about Danks.
Chapter 6: What role did Brisker's public comments play in his departure?
They're all fine. What about Danks? What about Billings? That's the new one. He's an apartment.
complex this guy do you remember the picture of andrew billings catching passes on the let's see who can which lineman can catch passes day and i was like yes yes i want to see this happen more than most things rumbling bill and then it didn't happen i was very sad wanted him to go keith trailer or ted washington from the early erlacher years i needed an andrew billings trick play like i needed to breathe oh man and i'm still breathing but i wanted the andrew billings trick play
Yeah, that would have been nice. Who knows? Hey, it's not out of... Well, he probably won't be back with the Bears, but it's not completely out of the question. I don't think he was a DA guy. I don't think the DA was big on Billings. I do wonder, though, if for some of these players, the Bears had already made a decision prior to even this season. I agree.
I agree, and that's what I wonder about Bayard. I do. Was their plan always, we're going to try, we're going to target Kobe Bryant, or maybe there was even another younger safety that they had. They probably did have multiple guys in mind. I know they love Bayard. I don't know how serious they ever were about bringing Bayard back, now that I think about it and re-listen to everything.
Well, the order of operations would dictate that Kobe Bryant was signed first. Yeah, and that's why Kobe was, or Kobe, that's why Bayard was like, hey, New England was my choice because he saw their, three years, $40 million. He ain't getting that from the Bears. So he might've been a little insulted too, or a little put off. I don't know if insulted is the right word.
Yeah, well, I mean, at his point in his career, he would probably know that that wasn't the deal he was going to get. But I think there was a reason we all thought it was going to be two years at $10 million per. I think that that was out there for a reason. Yeah, I guess I overshot.
I thought he would get two years with the Bears for a little bit because he was making about $8 million a year with the Bears. So I thought maybe they would boost it, give him two years, $20 million. I thought they would do that. And I get the age thing, but I also always fall back. The man has never missed a game in his life. And I know it happens quickly for all of us.
All of a sudden, you get older. It's spontaneous. So you do have to bring that in. I think about TJ Edwards, you know? Yeah, yeah. God, I hope he's back a hundo next year. Rest up, TJ. Also, I want to bring this note up for next week. Do you have a planner? Do you have a palm pilot? If so, join me, Layla Rahimi, this Thursday, March 19th from 7 to 9 p.m.
at Old Crow Smokehouse in Wrigleyville for the finals of Bud Light's official Mini Hoops Mania. Hang out with Bud Light and The Score as one Chicago winner gets to head to Las Vegas for a chance at $10,000. That's Thursday starting at 7 at Old Crow in Wrigleyville. It is going to be a lot of fun. Coming up next, it is halftime.
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Chapter 7: How did Brisker's playing style influence his value to the Bears?
And there was a war of words that went on in Los Angeles last night, apparently, between the Bulls and Luka Doncic. Can you not wake Luka? Could you not? We'll hear from them next.