Cubs News: Kyler Gordon reacts to his $40 million extension

Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Thursday, April 17 2025

CHICAGO - When the Chicago Bears signed cornerback Kyler Gordon to a three-year, $40 million contract extension, they made him the highest-paid slot cornerback in the league.

While it may not have been Gordon’s goal to get the largest salary of any slot corner, it has always been his goal to be the best at his position.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say it was a goal of mine. I just wanted to, at the end of the day, I (want) to be the best at my position. Period,” Gordon said. “I just know I wanted to work hard to be the hardest nickel in my position (and) the best at it.”

Some players change how they play the game after they receive a large contract. Sometimes, players do not try as hard because they already got the money. That is not Gordon. He does not approach the game that way as he still feels he has to earn this contract.

Furthermore, he has more than he wants to prove.

“I feel like every year, once you start getting into camp, at the end of the day, you still have to do everything that’s ahead of you. It’s not like the next three years are all said and done. In my head, I’m still earning every penny everyday that I play,” Gordon said. “So, my motor (won’t) slow down at all and (I) feel like I still got a ton of stuff I haven’t done on the field that I want to show and keep doing.”

Being almost every snap his rookie season seems to have helped him greatly. During that season, Gordon recorded three interceptions. He also recorded a forced fumble and had a fumble recovery.

Looking back, Gordon feels that his rookie season experience benefited him and his development as a player despite all of the ups and downs.

“I think it helped. I’m the type of person (that I) want to see the whole menu right away just so I can keep digesting as much as I can instead of getting piece by piece. So, to be able to go like that and get there quickly. I feel like I adapt real fast. So, I feel like (that) just accelerated everything for me,” Gordon said. “I feel like being thrown into the fire early as a rookie and getting a wide variety of different positions all over, a lot of downs, ups and downs and learning from those, just all the experience all combined together I feel like has made me who I am. Definitely the people around me in the locker room help (elevate) me and the people (showing) me different vets around the league to help me. Just a bunch of combinations of the experiences and me having people around me and myself to push me to do stuff like that.”

This season will be Gordon’s first year in the NFL with a head coach other than Matt Eberflus.

With the new coaching staff including head coach Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, Gordon always feels some urgency from them to have a successful season, the same feeling the players have been feeling the past few seasons.

“I have talked to the coaches and met them, definitely got a good energy, definitely a sense of urgency of what we’re trying to do and I feel like we’re all on the same page, all on the same timing. So, I feel like everyone having the same mindset is what we’re trying to do and prepare for is what I’m most into, everyone on each other to reach these goals that we all have for each other,” Gordon said. “We’ve all been feeling it, the people who have been here the past three years. So, I feel like to have a refresh and a group and a head coach that is on the same type of timing that he is. I love people that want to come and (work hard), have goals they want to accomplish and very serious about it. It’s cool to be fun and giggling this season, (but) how imperative it is to all the coaching staff (to have urgency), I love it. We’re on top of it, already trying to get things in motion. No time wasted because time is precious and so, I think we’re on the right path right now.”