The Bears signed Case Keenum this offseason, but they are still taking care of one of their other quarterbacks. Chicago is extending backup Tyson Bagent, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
It is a two-year deal worth $10MM; the contract can max out at $16MM for the former UDFA out of Division II. Because Bagent is a former UDFA, he is extension-eligible after two seasons (rather than the three for drafted players). He will take advantage of the system here and cash in, with this contract representing a QB2 commitment through 2027. AllCHGO.com first reported the extension.
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While some trade chatter involving Bagent — after the Keenum signing — being a trade candidate emerged, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo indicates the QB has started off well in Ben Johnson‘s system. This certainly illustrates a commitment, though the deal overlaps with Caleb Williams‘ rookie terms. The Bears approached Bagent over the past week about a deal, the QB said (via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin).
Known as both a long-odds success story (out of D-II Shepherd) and for having an arm-wrestling father, Bagent has been with the Bears since 2023. He joins Keenum and 2024 UDFA Austin Reed on Chicago’s 90-man roster. Bagent, who made four starts filling in for Justin Fields as a rookie before sitting for most of his second season behind Williams, will be making the Bears as their backup once again.
Bagent proved effective in spurts in Luke Getsy‘s offense two years ago, winning two of the starts he made while Fields recovered from a thumb injury. Bagent piloted the Bears to wins over the Raiders and Panthers in 2023, though a rough outing in a Sunday-night game against the Chargers also transpired during this stretch. The 6-foot-3 passer’s popularity soared after the Bears’ 30-12 win over the Raiders in October 2023 — a game that involved a 21-for-29 accuracy ledger and a touchdown pass — and he was the only Getsy QB holdover on last year’s team.
Bagent is now on his fourth play-caller since arriving in Chicago, transitioning to Johnson’s offense. He certainly is an atypical QB on any rung of an NFL depth chart but has made the most of his chances. Keenum is tied to a one-year, $2.25MM deal; Chicago guaranteed the aging backup $2.16MM. Keenum has experience with a team that also carried a much younger backup, as the Texans retained (and then extended) Davis Mills during Keenum’s two-year stay back in Houston.
I think he should celebrate by clean and jerking 350 lbs and then running a burpee mile.
Well deserved
For doing what? Spot starting 4 games and tossing 2x more picks than TDs?
I’m sure hes a nice kid but the bears are really dumb to commit any money to a 3rd string QB with no real success in the league.
Good for an UDFA to get a check, but as a packer fan I love it when the bears act like the bears and spent money on 3rd string QBs.
with a .500 record. weird for a so called packer fan to not understand the value of a backup quarterback…
I mean, the team has had 3 consistent starters dating back to like 92 and only needing a backup in two of those years. Hundley never made it past his first contract and Flynn never carried a cap hit % over 0.8. Bags will be at about 2% at the low end and 3.2% at max.
Flynn had some success in his small sample size compared to Bags who has had none and factors to have zero impact on the game behind a guy who went 1/1 last year and behind keenum who has started 66 games and carries a winning record as a starter if you disclude his 2013 rookie season.
Backup QBs don’t mean much unless you’re unsure of your starter, and third string guys mean even less when you have a qualified #2 already.
You don’t know ball. Shame.
Criminal method how? Be specific with factual based logic to support your claim.
You dont know ball sounds like a hood phrase when you dont know what youre talking about but disagree with someone.
“Sounds like a hood phrase” sounds like something you say when you’re a POS and disagree with someone.
Tyson Bagent is the backup quarterback. Case Keenum was brought in as a pseudo-coach for Caleb Williams, as Keenum was contemplating retiring and jumping right into coaching. Ben Johnson convinced him to “play” one more year before he makes the jump into the coaching ranks. Sorry for the “hood phrase” but you don’t know ball.
Criminal, Okay so you covered the depth chart. Now cover why you would pay an undrafted FA with a 1:2 TD:INT ratio any sort of money?
Why wouldn’t the orga inaction plan ahead and draft a rookie contract late round QB rather than pay a bum 2 to 3% of your cap? Waste of money for someone not worthwhile.
Could it be because the new coaching staff likes what they see from him now that he has an offensive minded head coach? Could it be because Caleb Williams only makes 9 million and they don’t have much money on the books when it comes to the quarterback position? Could it be because 5 million a year for a backup QB isn’t that much money when you look at how much money is poured into a QB room around the league?
Criminal, Gardner Minshew who is much more accomplished is making 1.1m this year. Jake Browning 1 mil. Tanner McKee 1 mil, cooper rush 1.9 mil.
I could go on and on with guys making less than 5 mil that are more accomplished and more experienced than Bags.
You don’t understand football.
They all backup guys who make a ton of money. $5 million to a guy who your offensive minded head coach loves and has been singing his praises all summer is nothing when the starter makes less than $10 million. I said it once, and I’ll say it again. You don’t know ball and it shows
Kid, ive pointed to several more experienced and more capable backups that make a fifth what Bags makes and you refuse to see it.
I can’t help you see what youre missing any more than I already have.
The 4 mil they could save on a different backup could go to some much needed O line help to avoid Caleb feom getting sacked almost 70 times again.
Maybe you haven’t noticed that the Bears have shored up the offensive line and have a preseason offensive line rank of 3 when last year they were closer to last. Thank you for proving you don’t know ball.
Criminal, they signed Thuney to play guard that is good. Let’s look at the whole line.
LT with Jones a former 5th round pick zero time first team, second team, or pro bowl selections. LG is Thuney who is legit. Salman at C another mid round pick guy with zero first team all pro, second team all pro, or pro bowl selections. Jonah Jackson at RG a guy who snuck in a pro bowl appearance 4 years ago and hasn’t done anything since. Then Darnell Wright who was a part of the 68 sacks allowed crew from last year.
Not sure where people are getting confidence from on a line with 1 guy who has ever made an all pro selection who plays interior. Meanwhile their tackles both are returning from last year, a year they allowed 68 sacks and 50 the year before.
Profootball focus might be high on the two tackles in their OL rankings this year but they still both were graded sub-80. Same with Dalman. Jackson sub 70.
I mean, what is the hype for? Trading for 1 guy who is good in Thuney, signing a sub 80-graded center, bringing in a sub 70 graded guard, and returning 2 young tackles that allowed 118 sacks in 2 years?
Compare that with who id say has the best line in the eagles they have a tackle who made 2nd team all pro, playing opposite a 6x pro bowl 3x 2nd team 2x 1st team all pro, a guard who had made 3 straight pro bowls,a center off his first pro bowl, and 1 completely unproven guy in Steen.
That’s a steeeeeep drop from 1st to 3rd in those rankings and I’m not sold on the bears line one bit.
No you’re right. NFL insiders should go off the word of “Macbeth” because trust me bro.
Don’t mind me if I mark this and return every week when they give up like 5 sacks a game again.
Criminal, it’s only week 2 but the Bears O line is on pace to give up 51 sacks so far this year and is sitting in the middle of the lack for rushing yards so far.
Very curious to see how they do against the cowboys, raiders, and commanders pass rush.
He has value man and has impressed in camps. He’s earned it
Atl I dont see the value in giving a random no name money.
He’s not a random to the front office that’s what matters
Very shortsighted to not see the value of a quality backup. If the starter goes down, suddenly he’s the most important player on the roster.
@rondon—facts. How do people not get this
Ha ha ! Love the move the Packers did with Love ! What a colossal mistake that was !!!!
It’s always fun to see the UDFA and Div II guys beat the odds and prove that the scouts don’t know everything. Bagent will probably always be a career backup QB but some of these guys go on to get coaching jobs. I thought that would be the case with Brian Hoyer who has played about everywhere in a variety of systems.
The thing I noticed about him first is he’s cool as the other side of the pillow and doesn’t rattle at all. When they tossed him in when Fields got hurt he went 2-2 with a horrible offense. I could see him being a starter in this league but it would have to be a right place, Right time kind of thing. I like the move and think he’s a solid #2 which I said even after they brought in Keenum. He doesn’t rattle he just answers the bell.
Your lucky to have a wife that doesn’t hog the pillows. I never get a chance to discover if the underside is cool.
Got rid of her. In a sense that she lives somewhere else than I do way, Not the way you’re thinking.
Good for him. Good move by the Bears to lock him up for a while. It’s pretty well documented how this current Bears coaching staff likes him. The players as well.
Only remember him because the dad is the arm wrestling fun guy.
interestingly, despite Bagent’s lineage, he has a noodle arm. But also appears to be a high IQ field general. Will have a 15 year career as a backup.
Spoken like a true clown who has never seen him play obviously. His arm is more than enough. I haven’t heard Noodle Arm since 1965 at the Hotel California.
Bagent is still a top 40 QB despite what he lacks in zip. Arm strength is just one of many traits a QB needs to be valuable, and there are several traits that can compensate for it. His ball placement, decision-making, and awareness mitigate the change-ups that he throws, still able to be successful at this level.
Just curious as to where you’ve seen anyone question his arm strength? You’re the only person I’ve ever heard make that claim.
I love hearing all this nonsense about the Bears trading him. What are they going to get for an undrafted FA? A 7th round pick? LOL He’s much more valuable here than as a trade chip. Everybody wants him because they think they can get him for almost nothing. Funny
Hell yeah!!!
Work ethic, teammates support him and grit. This gives the Bears 2 years to determine their QB future and add insurance in case of injury or lack of progress by Williams.