Montez Sweat Addresses Bears Extension Talks; Latest On Jaylon Johnson
Last year, the Dolphins traded for Bradley Chubb hours before the trade deadline. Two days later, they finished out extension talks with a deal that prevented a franchise tag scenario for the former Pro Bowler. The Bears are trying to do the same.
Ryan Poles said this week he is confident the Bears will extend Sweat, whom they acquired from the Commanders for a second-round pick. For his part, Sweat does not appear to be in a hurry. It sounds like the contract-year defensive end would prefer to gauge this Bears fit first.
“I think all that goes into play from financial to the people around me to the players in the building, all that type of stuff like that,” Sweat said, via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin. “I just got here. I’m still trying to figure out where I’m going to lay my head at tonight.”
As mentioned Wednesday, Sweat will be armed with some leverage. The Bears’ anemic pass rush over the past two years coupled with Sweat being in a contract year and being acquired for a pick likely to land in the 30s all stand to drive up the price tag. Although Sweat has no Pro Bowls on his resume, he is moving toward his first double-digit sack season. With the Bears sending over a high pick despite being 2-6, this trade is aimed around reaching an extension agreement. Sweat’s camp knowing this will undoubtedly set a high bar to clear.
The Bears will likely have the franchise tag ready for Sweat in the event the sides cannot come to terms by the March deadline to apply tags, but that could also run the risk of Jaylon Johnson departing in free agency. The Bears engaged in extension talks with the ascending contract-year cornerback last month, but failed trade talks — accelerated by the team granting his camp permission to seek a trade hours before the deadline — did not lead to a deal. The Bears wanted at least a second-rounder for Johnson, and Poles said the trade push came from Johnson’s camp after the Chargers game.
“There’s a difference between talking and trying to work things out versus trying to get things done,” Johnson said, via Cronin, of the October negotiations. “Up until this weekend, nothing was done. I figured I wanted some different opportunities to see what else was out there for me. Really, other than that, that’s about it.”
Still, the prospect of Sweat being paid first does not sit too well with Johnson. The former second-round pick, whom Pro Football Focus ranks third among corners this season, said (via CBS Sports) “it wouldn’t” go over too well with him if the Bears paid Sweat before extending him. With Johnson not sounding too enthused about restarting negotiations during the season, present circumstances introduce the risk of seeing that happen. Though mutual interest exists between the Bears and Johnson on a second contract, the Utah alum added he is “100%” interested in seeing what is out there for him in free agency.
“Here’s the thing. I don’t want to lose Jaylon Johnson,” Poles said. “If I were to lose Jaylon Johnson, I would like to have a high percentage of hitting on another Jaylon Johnson, which to me, is a late first and into early second. Really simple there. That didn’t happen. We are still open to getting a contract done. I know we’re going to follow Jaylon’s lead on how he wants to go about doing that but we’re still open.”
Sweat being paid early would open the door to the Bears tagging Johnson, but no team has cuffed a corner with the tag since the Rams retagged Trumaine Johnson in 2017. That said, the Bears did use the transition tag on Kyle Fuller in 2018, soon matching a Packers offer sheet to retain him. The transition tag price is expected to come in just south of $17MM, with the franchise tag at nearly $20MM. With the transition tag not providing any compensation for a team if a player signs an unmatched offer sheet, teams rarely use this tag.
The Bears will now see how Matt Eberflus‘ defense looks with Sweat opposite Yannick Ngakoue, with Johnson anchoring the secondary. All three of these players being in contract years (and Eberflus’ seat warming) injects uncertainty into this situation. Though, Sweat can probably count on being in Chicago past 2023.
LT Garett Bolles Seeking Broncos Extension
Other than the pick-swap 49ers trade involving Randy Gregory executed weeks ago, the Broncos did not opt to make any moves at the trade deadline. Sean Payton‘s team stood down, and it will see how its batch of trade chips performs down the stretch.
Deals will undoubtedly be revisited in 2024, with trade-rumor mainstays Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton more likely than not to be back in those discussions. Justin Simmons, who joins Jeudy and Sutton in being under contract beyond 2023, also generated trade interest leading up to this year’s deadline. Like Simmons, Garett Bolles was mentioned as a potential chip. But the longtime Denver left tackle did not emerge as a regular in pre-deadline rumors.
Bolles has been the Broncos’ left tackle starter since they selected him in the 2017 first round. Simmons is in place as the team’s longest-tenured starter; Bolles holds that distinction on offense, arriving a year after the Pro Bowl safety. The Utah product also has a second-team All-Pro nod on his resume, from 2020, when he signed his Broncos extension. That deal runs through 2024, but Denver7’s Troy Renck notes Bolles is interested in another extension that would keep him in Denver beyond 2024.
Coming into the NFL in his age-25 season, Bolles is 31 despite being in his seventh season. The Broncos drafted him during Vance Joseph‘s first year as HC. The team has used nine play-callers since choosing Bolles 17th overall six years ago, but he has been a constant on offense during this unremarkable period for the franchise. Despite struggling with penalties during his early years, Bolles played well during his 2020 contract campaign and secured a four-year, $68MM extension in November 2020.
While current GM George Paton signed off on Simmons’ through-2024 extension (four years, $61MM), John Elway remained in place as GM when the Bolles deal came to pass. Bolles also suffered a broken leg in Week 5 of the 2022 season, accelerating the Broncos’ descent to last place in points last year. The team has deployed a healthier squad in 2023, and Bolles has started all eight games. Pro Football Focus rates him 23rd among tackles, slotting his pass-protection grade in the top 10 at the position.
Denver has Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers signed to upper-crust deals at their respective positions. Even with Bolles on his $17MM-per-year accord, the Broncos join the Texans as the only team with both their tackles in the top 10 (AAV-wise) this season. The team’s willingness to give Bolles a second extension may also come down to its plans with Russell Wilson. While the scrutinized QB has fared better in 2023, he has not yet justified the lofty trade cost nor the $49MM-per-year extension he signed before the 2022 season. But a record-setting dead-money bill would await if Payton signed off on making the accomplished QB a post-June 1 cut next year. This stands to overshadow however the Broncos proceed with Bolles, who is due a nonguaranteed $15.7MM base salary in 2024.
Panthers Claim CB David Long
The Panthers will take a flier on a cornerback that will bring considerable system familiarity to the team. A day after the Raiders waived David Long, the veteran cover man will land with the Panthers.
Long will have a good knowledge of Ejiro Evero‘s defensive system, with the fifth-year defender having overlapped with the first-year Carolina DC in Los Angeles for three years. Ejiro resided as a Rams assistant during much of Long’s rookie-contract stay with the Rams. New Panthers secondary coach Jonathan Cooley also overlapped with Long in Los Angeles.
Although unable to earn regular playing time with the Raiders, Long should have some allies in Charlotte. Ejiro spent five years on Sean McVay‘s staff and finished out that run as the team’s DBs coach during its Super Bowl-winning 2021 campaign. Evero spent the previous four years as the Rams’ safeties coach. Long started five games, including one playoff contest, during that memorable season. So far in 2023, however, Long has made one start.
The Raiders moved on from 2022 starters Rock Ya-Sin and Anthony Averett this offseason, starting over with a handful of flier-type additions. Long became one of those, signing a one-year, $1.5MM deal that included $625K guaranteed. But the Raiders went with fourth-round rookie Jakorian Bennett over Long as a starter. A former third-round Rams draftee back in 2019, Long played only 24% of the Raiders’ defensive snaps this season. The Raiders have also made significant changes this week, firing Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels. That will likely lead to more personnel adjustments as well.
With the Rams letting Darious Williams walk in free agency in 2022, they looked set to give more playing time to Long and Robert Rochell. But neither could carve out consistent roles as L.A. starters. Long started four games in 2022. The Michigan alum did, however, intercept a Kyler Murray pass and return it three yards for a touchdown in the Rams’ 2021 wild-card romp. Long also started in Super Bowl LVI, playing 82% of the Rams’ defensive snaps in the game.
Carolina dangled veteran Donte Jackson in trades but did not unload anyone at this week’s deadline. The team remains without Jaycee Horn, who is on IR with a significant hamstring injury sustained in Week 1. Jackson, C.J. Henderson and ex-Evero Rams charge Troy Hill are in place as Carolina’s starters for the time being.
Raiders To Bench Jimmy Garoppolo, Start Aidan O’Connell In Week 9
NOVEMBER 3: Garoppolo will see his time atop the depth chart come to an end, but he will remain in the gameday lineup on Sunday. Pierce confirmed on Friday that the 32-year-old will back up O’Connell, meaning Hoyer will serve as the emergency third quarterback. While the chance of Garoppolo suiting up could lead to a new injury and thus complicate his likely exit this offseason, this setup will give Vegas an insurance policy while O’Connell receives an extended look as a starter.
NOVEMBER 1: Aidan O’Connell will return to a starting role and will do so after being demoted to third-stringer. Following Josh McDaniels‘ ouster, the Raiders are preparing to install the rookie as their starting quarterback, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. This is not expected to be a one-off, with Rapoport adding O’Connell will take the reins “going forward.”
Jimmy Garoppolo returned in Week 8 from a back injury that sidelined him the previous week, but despite signing a three-year deal this offseason, the longtime starter will be benched. This will certainly mark a major transition for the Raiders, who had used Brian Hoyer ahead of O’Connell in Week 7. The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore initially reported the Raiders were leaning in this direction.
McDaniels turned to O’Connell in Week 4 following a Garoppolo concussion but kept him on the bench when Garoppolo went down two weeks later. Hoyer, 38, replaced Garoppolo against the Patriots and helped the team to a win. Hoyer then started against the Bears, though O’Connell also saw time late in that ugly defeat against the Tyson Bagent-quarterbacked team. Now, O’Connell will make the unexpected jump past Garoppolo for a team that is in line to have Bo Hardegree calling plays.
The Raiders have fired McDaniels, GM Dave Ziegler and OC Mick Lombardi. While Scott Turner is on staff as pass-game coordinator and brings four full seasons as a play-calling OC, Hardegree received the nod. Linebackers coach Antonio Pierce is now Las Vegas’ interim HC, with assistant GM Champ Kelly — who had interviewed for the GM gig — operating as interim GM. Garoppolo’s demotion will be the most notable on-field change in the wake of the housecleaning.
Garoppolo signed a three-year, $72.75MM deal with the Raiders, rejoining McDaniels after 5 1/2 seasons with the 49ers. Garoppolo, who had played for McDaniels for 3 1/2 seasons in New England, has started 63 career games. Although he has developed an earned reputation as the NFL’s most injury-prone active QB, Garoppolo had fared well in Kyle Shanahan‘s system. But the 10th-year QB, who turns 32 on Thursday, did not hit the ground running when back with McDaniels in Las Vegas. Garoppolo sits 30th in QBR and, despite missing two games, has thrown an NFL-high nine interceptions. The Raiders’ problems on offense go deeper than Garoppolo, hence the firings, but a team source informed Rapoport that O’Connell is the team’s best QB.
That certainly remains to be seen. The Purdue product flashed during the preseason and received the first crack at replacing Garoppolo, though Hoyer re-entering the picture does not bode too well for the fourth-round pick’s prospects. Khalil Mack sacked O’Connell six times during a seven-point loss in which the rookie fumbled thrice. O’Connell still completed 24 of 39 passes for 248 yards in that one-score loss, though a late red zone interception denied the Raiders a chance to tie that game.
O’Connell saw regular action in all four seasons with the Boilermakers and worked as their full-time starter in his final two. The Raiders met with each of the top five QB prospects this year but eyed defense (Tyree Wilson) in Round 1 and tabled their QB pick until No. 135 overall. This decision points Garoppolo to another free agency bid in 2024. Garoppolo’s 2024 base salary ($11.25MM) is guaranteed, but CBS Sports’ Joel Corry notes a Raiders September restructure of the deal — which added two void years for cap-saving purposes — will create $28MM in dead-money charges in the event of a non-post-June 1 cut designation. A post-June 1 cut would lead to a $15MM-plus dead-money hit. That restructure will create a challenge for the Raiders’ next GM come 2024.
Giants Sign Randy Bullock, Place Graham Gano On IR; Cade York Added From Titans’ Practice Squad
NOVEMBER 3: In addition to Bullock, the Giants have signed Cade York, head coach Brian Daboll announced on Friday. As ESPN’s Jordan Raanan notes, the pair will have a brief competition to determine the team’s kicker in Week 9. York was drafted in the fourth round last year by the Browns, but his struggles in training camp and the preseason this summer led to Cleveland waiving him. The 22-year-old quickly joined the Titans’ practice squad, but this move to New York’s active roster will give him the opportunity to win a full-time gig in Gano’s absence.
NOVEMBER 2: Graham Gano has given the Giants some kicker stability during the 2020s, but the team will need to pivot to another option soon. Gano’s knee injury will sideline him for a while.
The recently extended kicker is set to undergo knee surgery and will land on IR, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who adds the team will replace Gano with Randy Bullock. The veteran kicker joined Mason Crosby, Robbie Gould and Matthew Wright in working out for the Giants on Thursday, per ex-Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes.
Bullock, whom ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter notes will initially join the Giants’ practice squad, has not kicked in a game this season. Amid a February salary purge, the Titans released Bullock. But he will bring 10 years’ experience to the Giants. Bullock, 33, kicked for the Titans for the past two seasons. While Bullock has bounced around the league, the Thursday signing will mark a reunion. During his 2010s travels, Bullock stopped through New York in 2016, kicking in one game with the Giants.
Gano signed a three-year, $16.5MM Giants extension in September; the 36-year-old specialist has been the Giants’ kicker since 2020. Gano acknowledged recently he will need surgery at some point. Rather than playing through this issue any longer, Gano will go under the knife soon.
The veteran kicker is coming off a two-miss performance in an ugly Giants loss to the Giants; the second of those misses came from 35 yards out. Gano, who also missed a 47-yarder in Week 8, could have effectively sealed a Giants win by making the shorter try late in the fourth quarter. The Jets instead rallied back to tie the game and force overtime, winning in the extra period. The former Washington and Carolina kicker had hoped to finish out the season and then undergo surgery, per Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, but the Jets outing appears to have changed plans.
On the season, Gano is just 11-for-17. The Giants guaranteed the 15th-year veteran $11.34MM at signing, providing an opportunity for the incumbent to reclaim his job once recovered. For now, Bullock will receive another chance. The former Texans fifth-round pick has kicked for six teams, also suiting up for the Bengals, Steelers and Jets during his run. The Giants stopover, which came in Week 1 of the 2016 season when Josh Brown served a one-game suspension, occurred as Bullock bounced around during the 2016 and ’17 seasons. Beyond those two slates, he served as a steady option in Houston, Cincinnati and Tennessee.
Bullock finished his two Titans seasons with 84% and 85% field goal accuracy rates. He is not necessarily known for prolific long-range success, having not made more than three 50-plus-yard field goals in a season since 2014. But the Giants preferred Bullock to Wright and the more experienced options they brought in Thursday.
Commanders Fallout: Falcons, Sweat, Ravens, Young, 49ers, Giants, Rivera
The Falcons joined the Bears in making a serious pursuit of Montez Sweat. They are believed to have offered a third-round pick for the contract-year defensive end. While Chicago’s second-round offer won out, Atlanta was prepared to go a step further. The Falcons look to have had an extension in place had they made a deal for Sweat, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. Sweat went to high school in the Atlanta area, with Fowler adding the defensive end has family there and was on board with being moved to the NFC South team. Instead, it is the Bears who are trying to negotiate an extension with the fifth-year edge. Chicago will have a 2024 franchise tag in its back pocket if no deal is reached.
Once again struggling to pressure passers, the Falcons are tied for the the second-worst sack total in the league (15). Only the Bears’ 10 ranks below the Falcons’ output. Atlanta also lost Grady Jarrett for the season in Week 8, creating a steeper uphill battle. Here is more coming out of the Commanders’ defensive line-reshaping deadline day:
- The Ravens also engaged in talks with the Commanders, with The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec indicating Chase Young was Baltimore’s target (subscription required). The Ravens’ 31 sacks lead the NFL, but they have been frequently connected to edge rusher additions in recent years. It is unclear what Baltimore offered Washington for Young, but it only took a compensatory third-rounder for San Francisco to win Tuesday’s second DE sweepstakes.
- John Lynch held talks about both Sweat and Young with ex-lieutenant Martin Mayhew, who is in his third year as Washington’s GM. Lynch also talked to Giants GM Joe Schoen, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows. Although it is unclear who the 49ers were pursuing from New York, the Giants having already traded Leonard Williams would have seemed to naturally pique teams’ interest. Lynch and Mayhew go back to their playing days with the Bucs, when both DBs played together for four seasons. Lynch was a 1993 draft choice, Mayhew a 1993 Tampa Bay free agent signing. Mayhew then spent time as a 49ers executive during the Lynch-Kyle Shanahan years. They began discussing Young two weeks ago, per Lynch. Young has passed his physical and will be en route to San Francisco, potentially set to suit up after the 49ers’ Week 9 bye.
- Indeed, the Commanders did not let the narrow loss to the Eagles determine their path. Rather than open the floodgates following that defeat, Ron Rivera indicated (via NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay) the process that led to the trades began around 10 days ago. Ownership was believed to have played a major role in making these trades, putting Rivera and Mayhew in a seemingly difficult spot due to Young and Sweat being in position to help this year’s team and the current power duo in danger of being gone when it is time to make the draft picks. That said, Rivera said (via Finlay) all parties were onboard with the moves. This week could certainly have provided some ownership-front office tension, but Rivera will now move forward without the Commanders’ two edge-rushing pillars, who had combined for 11.5 sacks this season.
Jets Open Duane Brown’s Practice Window
NOVEMBER 2: As expected, Brown has indeed returned to practice, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes. That means Thursday will mark the beginning of his 21-day activation window. It will be interesting to see how aggressive the Jets are in activating him, knowing his injury history and the implications it will have on Becton. In any event, New York will receive a boost along the offensive line in the near future.
NOVEMBER 1: Duane Brown‘s hip injury caused the Jets to reconfigure their offensive line. Mekhi Becton and Alijah Vera-Tucker changed positions, and second-round rookie Joe Tippmann entered the starting lineup. With the Jets in a worse place injury-wise weeks later, Brown’s return figures to help a 4-3 team.
Robert Saleh said Wednesday (via the New York Post’s Brian Costello) the team is planning to open Brown’s practice window this week. Brown has been on IR since before Week 4, which would have made last week his first shot at coming back. The Jets, however, believed they rushed Brown back from rotator cuff surgery late this summer (he returned August 23). That could point to caution when bringing him back from the hip injury he sustained in September.
[RELATED: Jets Expecting Aaron Rodgers To Return This Season]
Signed in an emergency circumstance to be the Jets’ left tackle last year, Brown returned to that post to start his age-38 season. The NFL’s second-oldest active O-lineman — behind the Seahawks’ Jason Peters — Brown is likely to take his job back from Becton once he returns. Labeling Brown one of the Jets’ best five O-linemen, Saleh pointed (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) to Becton being moved back to right tackle — where he began the season — in order to ensure both were on the field. While Saleh called Becton a freakish athlete and indicated he would “love” to keep him at left tackle, the Jets’ injury situation points to Brown returning to the blind side.
Brown played through his shoulder injury last season and gained respect from the coaching staff for doing so, but Pro Football Focus assigned Brown by far the worst grade of his career. The advanced metrics site slots Brown outside the top 60 at tackle this season, with a worse grade than 2022, but Saleh viewed the 16th-year blocker’s early-season performance as likely impacted by injury.
Considering the two injuries Brown has sustained as a Jet, he is no longer a particularly safe bet. For a team that has lost Vera-Tucker, center Connor McGovern and swingman Wes Schweitzer in the weeks since (with Tippman missing Week 8), depending on Brown will be a risky proposition. (The Jets placed McGovern and Schweitzer on IR this week, but Saleh noted both have a chance to come back this season.) But the Jets having Brown and Becton back at tackle will be an improvement compared to their current setup, so long as the five-time Pro Bowler is healthy. The Jets will have three weeks from Brown’s practice return to activate him. Gang Green has seven injury activations remaining.
Broncos Set High Price On Patrick Surtain
During the leadup to the trade deadline, Patrick Surtain appeared untouchable. In the aftermath, it certainly looks like those reports depicting the Broncos’ belief in the All-Pro cornerback from a long-term perspective were accurate.
That said, the Broncos did set a price for the third-year standout. As teams called on a player deemed out of reach, Denver is believed to have asked for two first-round picks in exchange for Surtain, according to a GM who spoke with the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora. And that cost may not have even sealed a deal. The Broncos set a two-first-rounder baseline for their best player, making it unlikely he would become a true candidate to be moved.
Surtain rocketed to the top tier at his position via a first-team All-Pro showing in 2022, doing plenty to help the Broncos stay in games despite a broken offense. The 23-year-old cover man can be kept on a rookie contract through 2025, with the Alabama alum on a smooth track toward seeing his fifth-year option exercised by May.
The elite perimeter corner has also played a key role in the Broncos recovering from their historic 70-20 loss to the Dolphins. In particular, the team’s first win over the Chiefs since 2015 may have changed the Broncos’ thinking. The 3-5 team shifted a bit on seller’s trades after that win, according to the GM. The Broncos were believed to be “open for business;” that turned out not to be the case.
Justin Simmons also came up frequently in teams’ talks pre-Week 8 talks with the Broncos, and it would not have taken as much to pry away the eighth-year safety. But the standout DB did not emerge in many trade rumors, despite his status as one of the league’s top ballhawks. The Jerry Jeudy–Courtland Sutton pair came up frequently, but the Broncos will regroup with their starting receivers, perhaps with the intent of seeing each rebuild their trade value. Offers for Jeudy and Sutton did not come close to the team’s desired asking prices. Deadline-day proposals are believed to have come in, but Sean Payton‘s updated stance of not shopping anyone turned out to lead to a rare quiet deadline day in Denver.
While Denver’s defense has recovered after a woeful start, the team’s five first-half losses will create an uphill battle toward a potential wild-card berth. The team still has road matchups with the Bills and Lions on its docket. But the Broncos’ batch of trade chips, for the most part, are all under team control through at least 2024. Garett Bolles‘ deal expires after next season, as does Simmons’. Jeudy is due a $12.99MM fifth-year option salary next season, while Sutton’s $15MM-per-year pact runs through 2025.
Jaylon Johnson Wants To Stay With Bears Beyond 2023; Team Sought Big Return
Easily Jaylon Johnson‘s most eventful day on this website, Tuesday brought a spree of news pertaining to the contract-year Bears cornerback. The Bears gave Johnson permission to seek a trade, deviating from their previous stance, and discussed him with multiple teams. Ultimately, Johnson is still in Chicago. But Tuesday brought some important status updates.
Most notably, GM Ryan Poles said (via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin) it would have taken an offer including a first- or second-round pick to pry Johnson from the Bears. This is in line with a report from Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson, who notes the Bears were seeking a second-rounder in a deal Tuesday. Chicago wanted at least a Day 2 pick for the fourth-year starter, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds.
The Bears appeared ready to move Johnson, to the point the ascending cover man expected to be traded, per the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley. Even with the stream of trade rumors and potential destinations — from Buffalo to San Francisco — swirling, Johnson still wants to be with the Bears beyond this season, Finley adds. Poles also wants Johnson to be with the team beyond 2023; that will require a hefty contract extension. Johnson also said in June he wanted to sign his second contract with the Bears, though negotiations have not gone smoothly.
Johnson, 24, has shown some well-timed growth. His coverage numbers, via Pro Football Focus or Pro-Football-Reference, are among the best in the league. The 2020 second-round pick ranks third among corners, per PFF, and his completion percentage yielded (50.0), yards per target (5.3) and passer rating as the closest defender (48.1) are considerably better than what he showed in the past. PFF had never previously rated Johnson higher than 50th in a season at his position. Johnson added a two-interception game, including a pick-six, against the Raiders in Week 7.
This profile may lead to some teams being leery of a big payment, and Johnson himself said he is not trying to reset the cornerback market or establish a new positional record. More consistent corners are candidates to do that, but Josh Norman once used a monster contract year to break the CB salary record — back in 2016, when the Panthers rescinding his franchise tag sent him to the market. Even if a Norman path is not viable, Johnson has made himself some money to start his contract year.
The Johnson camp’s ask prompted the Bears to let him look elsewhere, with a midday rumor circulating the team only did this to see what other clubs were willing to pay him. Poles said (via The Athletic’s Adam Jahns) the Bears and Johnson have not engaged in extensive negotiations, pointing to the team’s final offer having not yet emerged. Teams’ apparent unwillingness to include a second-rounder in trades also stands to shape the next round of Johnson talks with the Bears.
Montez Sweat now being in the extension picture, as the key variable in that equation, complicates matters for the Bears and Johnson. Sweat looks to have jumped the line for franchise tag priority. Considering the Bears drafted two second-round corners (Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson) in Poles’ first two years, it would certainly seem Sweat is the priority. If the recently initiated Sweat extension talks produce a deal, a tag would be open for Johnson. The corner tag is projected to come in north of $19MM, however. No team has tagged a corner since the Rams cuffed Trumaine Johnson twice (2016-17).
Bears Working On Montez Sweat Extension
For the second straight season, the Bears made a buyer’s trade as a struggling team. The 2-6 squad sent the Commanders a second-round pick for Montez Sweat. Unlike Chase Claypool in 2022, Sweat is in a contract year, applying some pressure on Ryan Poles‘ staff to reach a resolution.
Rather than wait for free agency, Poles sounds like he is taking the same approach the Dolphins used after trading for Bradley Chubb. Poles said the Bears are working on an extension for Sweat, according to ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin. The Dolphins reupped Chubb (on a $22MM-per-year deal that will probably be pertinent re: Sweat talks) shortly after acquiring him from the Broncos last year.
Sweat will possess considerable leverage in these negotiations. In addition to being in a contract year, he has joined a Bears team that has deployed the NFL’s worst pass rush over the past two seasons. Chicago, which traded Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn last year, having sent Washington a pick likely to land in the 30s also strengthens Sweat’s position.
The Bears will have the option of franchise-tagging Sweat. Such a move is expected to cost just more than $20MM next year. Considering the difficulties the Bears have encountered in pressuring QBs under Matt Eberflus, it seems a near-certainty Sweat will be tagged if the parties cannot hammer out an extension before the March deadline to designate franchise players. The Commanders appeared prepared to tag either Sweat or Chase Young, but their actions Tuesday paint a different picture about where ownership believes the team stands.
Upon acquiring Mack just before the 2018 season, the Bears had an extension ready. The Raiders balked at paying Mack in 2018, but the Bears authorized a six-year deal worth $141MM. At the time, that $23.5MM-per-year pact made Mack the NFL’s highest-paid defender. Nick Bosa has since moved the goal posts to $34MM per year. Sweat is not where Mack was five years ago or where Bosa is today, having never made a Pro Bowl or reached double-digit sacks in a season. His leverage runs the risk of a Bears overpay, however, so it will be interesting to see if numbers surface during negotiations.
The Panthers are in a similar situation with Brian Burns, though it is what the organization turned down that has armed the 2019 first-rounder with ammo in negotiations. The Rams proposed a two-first-rounder package for Burns, while the Bears pursued him in the March talks that led to the No. 1 overall pick changing hands. Carolina kept Burns out of that deal, leading D.J. Moore to Chicago. Sweat would stand to be interested in what Burns fetches, though the latter is a two-time Pro Bowler.
Rashan Gary does not have a Pro Bowl or a 10-sack season on his resume, but the Packers just made him the game’s fifth-highest-paid edge rusher. The full guarantees in Gary’s deal are not yet known, but that will be a relevant accord for when the Bears and Sweat’s camp exchange numbers.
Sweat, 27, is on pace for his first double-digit sack season, having tallied 6.5 in his final eight Commanders games. He could certainly try his luck on upping his value in a contract year, but the Bears will attempt to lock the former first-round pick down early. An early Sweat extension would free up a tag for Jaylon Johnson, whom the Bears passed on trading Tuesday despite allowing the cornerback’s camp to find a trade partner.