Kyler Gordon

Kyler Gordon (born December 17, 1999) is an American professional football cornerback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies and was selected by the Bears in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Early life

Gordon became a ballet dancer at a young age, and has used it to his advantage. Gordon's rare balance and jumping, as showcased at the NFL Combine, helped him become an early second round draft pick many years later. Ballet is more of a hobby for him now as he moves to professional football, but he still credits ballet for a lot of his football success.

Gordon attended Archbishop Murphy High School in Everett, Washington. He played cornerback and wide receiver in high school. He committed to the University of Washington to play college football.

College career

Gordon played in four games his first year at Washington in 2018 and was redshirted. In 2019, he started four of 13 games, recording 32 tackles. In 2020, he started one of four games and had 18 tackles. Gordon became a full-time starter in 2021. On January 5, 2022, Gordon declared for the 2022 NFL draft.

Professional career

Pre-draft

NFL draft analysts Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN and Dane Brugler of ''the Athletic'' had Gordon ranked as the fourth best cornerback prospect available in the draft. NFL.com media analyst Daniel Jeremiah listed Gordon as the fifth best cornerback amongst his position in the draft. Thor Nystrom of NBC Sports ranked him sixth amongst all cornerbacks in the draft. Kevin Hanson of ''Sports Illustrated'' ranked Gordon as the seventh best cornerback prospect in the draft. Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus listed him as the eighth best cornerback prospect (58th overall) on his big board. Pro Football Focus ranked him ninth among all cornerbacks available in the draft. NFL draft analysts and scouts projected him to be a first or second round pick.

2022

The Chicago Bears selected Gordon in the second round (39th overall) of the 2022 NFL draft. He was the sixth cornerback drafted in 2022.

On June 25, 2022, the Chicago Bears signed Gordon to a four–year, $8.68 million rookie contract that includes $5.79 million guaranteed upon signing and an initial signing bonus of $3.49 million.

He entered training camp projected to be the No. 2 starting cornerback, but suffered a minor injury that forced him to miss numerous practices. He competed for a starting position against Kindle Vildor under defensive coordinator Alan Williams. Head coach Matt Eberflus named him the No. 2 starting cornerback and starting nickelback to begin the season and paired him with No. 1 starting cornerback Jaylon Johnson.

On September 11, 2022, Gordon made his professional regular season debut and first career start during the Chicago Bears' home-opener against the San Francisco 49ers and made six solo tackles as the Bears won 19–10. On October 24, 2022, Gordon made one pass deflection and had his first career interception on a pass thrown by Bailey Zappe to wide receiver Tyquan Thornton to seal the Bears' 33–14 win at the New England Patriots. In Week 11, Gordon recorded seven combined tackles (four solo) before exiting during the third quarter in the Bears' 24–27 loss at the Atlanta Falcons due to a head injury that occurred when he collided with Marcus Mariota at the goal line while attempting a tackle on a ten–yard rushing touchdown by Mariota. He was diagnosed with a concussion and was subsequently placed into concussion protocol and remained inactive for the next two games (Weeks 12–13). He was inactive for the Bears' 13–29 loss against the Minnesota Vikings due to a groin injury. He finished his rookie season with 71 combined tackles (65 solo), six pass deflections, and three interceptions in 14 games and 14 starts.

2023

During training camp, Gordon competed against rookie second-round pick Tyrique Stevenson for the role as the No. 2 starting cornerback. He began the season as the third cornerback on the depth chart behind starting tandem Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson and retained his role at starting nickelback.

On September 10, 2023, Gordon made one solo tackle and a pass deflection before exiting in the third quarter of the Bears' 20–38 loss against the Green Bay Packers after injuring his hand. On September 14, 2023, the Bears officially placed him on injured reserve and reported that Gordon had underwent surgery due to fracturing his hand. On October 14, 2023, the Bears removed him from injured reserve and added him back to their active roster after he was sidelined for four games (Weeks 2–5).. In Week 10, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles (seven solo) and broke up a pass during a 16–13 win against the Carolina Panthers. In Week 16, he made seven combined tackles (six solo), one pass deflection, and had his first career sack on Kyler Murray for an eight–yard loss as the Bears defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27–16. On December 31, 2023, Gordon made three combined tackles (two solo) a pass deflection, and helped seal a 17–37 victory against the Atlanta Falcons with an interception on a pass by Taylor Heinicke to wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge near the end of the fourth quarter. He finished the 2023 NFL season with a total of 61 combined tackles (44 solo), six pass deflections, two interceptions, and one sack in 13 games and seven starts.

2024

The Chicago Bears hired Eric Washington as their new defensive coordinator after Alan Williams resigned at the beginning of the 2023 NFL season. Washington chose to retain Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson as the starting cornerbacks as Gordon remained third on the depth chart and the first-team nickelback.

On October 13, 2024, Gordon produced seven combined tackles (five solo) before suffering an injury and exited during the third quarter of 35–16 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On November 29, the Bears announced their decision to fire head coach Matt Eberflus after they fell to a 4–8 record. In Week 14, he recorded four combined tackles (two solo) and made a season-high two pass deflections as the Bears defeated the Tennessee Titans 17–24. He ended the 2024 NFL season with a total of 75 combined tackles (48 solo), five pass deflections, a career-high three fumble recoveries, a forced fumble in 15 games and 13 starts. He received an overall grade of 76.0 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked him 20th among 122 cornerbacks in 2024.

2025

On April 13, 2025, Gordon agreed to a three-year, $40 million contract extension with the Bears.

Personal life

Gordon grew up as a fan of Spider-Man. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus nicknamed Gordon "Spider-Man" in 2022. He embraced the nickname by wearing custom Spider-Man cleats and gloves during pre-game warmups, and even going as far as wearing a Spider-Man mask before a game against the Los Angeles Chargers on October 29, 2023. His signature celebration is a backflip followed by one of Spider-Man's poses.

References

External links

Chicago Bears bioWashington Huskies bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Kyler
Living people
People from Mukilteo, Washington
Players of American football from Snohomish County, Washington
Sportspeople from the Seattle metropolitan area
American football cornerbacks
Washington Huskies football players
1999 births
Chicago Bears players