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.
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.
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.
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.
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