When is Jesse Lee Soffer leaving Chicago PD?

Jesse Lee Soffer leaving PD has been the biggest One Chicago news of the entire off season. He’s been a centerpiece character for a decade, and he’s so ingrained in the lives of the other officers that it’s tough to see a way in which he can peacefully exit.

The writers and showrunners have kept quiet on their plans to write Soffer’s Jay Halstead out, but we know it’s coming. So, in the interest of speculation and sifting through the clues we’ve gotten so far, here’s what we know about the show’s plans.

When is Jay Halstead leaving Chicago PD?

For one, Halstead is definitely going to be present in the season 11 premiere. He appears in most of the promo photos for the episode, where he can be seen working alongside wife Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) and protege Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar). They are in the midst of a surveillance op and it looks like things get tense enough for them to take their weapons out and approach a front door.

The synopsis for the episode also confirms that “new wrinkles” surface in the dynamic between Halstead, Upton and Voight (Jason Beghe). The wording of this is vague enough to not give major plot points away, but it does suggest that Halstead will be around for at least most of the season.

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If he were to get killed off or written out early, the show wouldn’t bother introducing new wrinkles. The way the episode is summarized implies that seeds will be planted in this season premiere that will grow into bigger issues as things unfold.

There’s also the fact that Soffer has been spotted throughout most of the production of season 10 which means that he does not leave midway through (or earlier). We can take solace in the fact he will be around for almost all of the season, and will depart somewhere close to the end. Given the show’s propensity for drama, we wouldn’t be surprised if him leaving was the dramatic thrust of the season finale.

When do you think Halstead will leave Chicago PD?

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