PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Bears used tons of free salary cap space this offseason. None of it was used on slot cornerback Kyler Gordon.

That doesn’t mean he’s not valued in the organization. Quite the opposite, actually. Go back and listen to the praise heaped upon him by Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen this offseason.

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They appreciate what he brings to the organization. The goal is to keep him in Chicago. In due time.

The Bears were active around the NFL free agency period trading for Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signing Drew Dalman, Grady Jarrett and Day Odeyingbo. All five of those individuals average eight-figure annual salaries.

That doesn’t mean a Gordon deal can’t get done relatively soon. Cap numbers are generally low in the first year due to signing bonus allocation, and the Bears can make an extension work now or this summer or farther into the future.

A Gordon extension has not been put on the backburner. Bears general manager Ryan Poles was clear about that on Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings

“That will still be a priority,” he said. “For me, in our exit meetings at the end of last season, I told all the guys in terms of future, if it was contracts, coming back, anything like that, the important thing is I’ve got to get with our new coaching staff and kind of see how the different players fit based on the scheme.

“We’ve been able to have those conversations and I know Kyler is a guy that we want to be a part of this moving forward. So, the timing of that, I’m not sure how that all is going work out, but that is a priority.”

The Bears have some time on that. They’ve got some time on a possible extension for linebacker T.J. Edwards, a top performer and team captain entering the final year of his contract.

Jaquan Brisker is also set to work on expiring deal, but he’s in a slightly different category considering his recent concussion history. The Bears could stay in wait-and-see mode there, despite Brisker being a talent player offenses scheme against.

Gordon’s in line to get paid and stay in Chicago. If the sides can meet on money, it’s like just a matter of time.

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