LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Speaking publicly for the first time since a concussion forced him to miss 12 games last season, Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker said he is not concerned over the risk of reinjury after returning to the practice field this spring.

"I'm going to continue to play the same way," Brisker said. "That was my first time really having a contact injury. He hit his head on my neck, so he kind of just hit his helmet on the right spot. Really just moving on from that."

Brisker suffered a concussion after he collided with Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble on Oct. 6, 2024. Tremble was immediately ruled out with a concussion while Brisker was able to stay in the game and log 85% of defensive snaps.

It wasn't until later that evening that Brisker experienced concussion-like symptoms. After reporting those symptoms to the team the next day, Brisker was placed into concussion protocol, where he remained for more than four months.

"To be honest, my mom asked me every single day: 'Are you OK? Are you ready?'" Brisker said. "I told her I'm about to be playing this week. I really thought I was fine, to be honest. I mean, it was just a hard process, a hard thing. Obviously, I wanted to be out there playing football, but I just couldn't. I physically couldn't. But every day I told my mother, I will be playing this game. Every time I came here, I just couldn't get past certain [processes]."

Brisker, 26, has been diagnosed with a concussion in each of his three NFL seasons but did not express concern about the cumulative effect of his head injuries. He said retirement was not something he ever considered.

"Nope. Not with no one, especially not myself," Brisker said. "Not with my parents. I feel like if my parents, you know, say something, it's deep. So, if it didn't come from them or come from me, I didn't hear it to be honest."

Brisker met with a specialist from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was diagnosed with a vestibular concussion. With dizziness and vertigo a common symptom, Brisker said he had to retrain his nervous system through a series of exercises aimed to strengthen his reactionary skills.

"Just like side-to-side movement," Brisker said. "It's a lot of tennis ball catching and things like that, just trying to track my eyes, get my eyes moving around, get my body moving around, fast and things like that. Just reacting."

Brisker called the obstacles he faced in getting back on the field a "bump in the road" on his journey. He did not express trepidation over what it will feel like when he is able to make contact with another player when the pads come on at training camp.

"I want to hit right now," Brisker said. "So, no, I'm not curious. I'm going to play at full speed. I'm going to be a play maker. Nothing really changes, it's just I'm gonna be stronger, I'm gonna be a lot more mentally focused. My mind is really like probably like five or six years new or whatever the doctor said. I did so much work. So I'm really past it, like I'm really moving on."