The Bears are parting ways with tight end Gerald Everett. The team plans to release him, a transaction that will save $5.5 million in salary-cap space. His $6.5 million cap number also has $1 million associated with his release.

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Everett said goodbye to the Chicago market on Friday afternoon on X, and the Bears formally announced the move a few hours later.

The Bears also announced on Friday that they released defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker.

The Everett move made some sense considering his relative lack of offensive production. He had eight receptions for 36 yards over 17 games in his only season with the Bears. Overall, Everett wasn’t used much, playing in just 22% of Chicago’s offensive snaps.

He signed a two-year deal with Chicago last offseason, seemingly aided by strong ties to then offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who was fired near midseason. Waldron had worked with Everett in Seattle and with the Los Angeles Rams.

Making this move now allows the Bears to use those funds on a seemingly better fit, while it allows Everett to hit the open market early and find a good spot to start the next chapter of his career, which began back in 2017.

The Bears currently have No. 1 tight end Cole Kmet currently under contract for the 2025 season. Veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis is set for unrestricted free agency this spring. That means the Bears will obviously add to the position, with the prospects of re-signing Lewis a possibility. Head coach/offensive play caller Ben Johnson has used the tight end position to great effect — he has also coached the position before — so he’ll have some thoughts on the talent he’d like to add to the position group.