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.
What’s the over/under on him lasting more games than Claypool? Guess over, if they re-up him before seeing him play in their scheme.
They are gonna give him Mack’s contract, so he beats the Chubb contract last year, and honestly the Bears need to overpay for these key positions, you gave an off ball linebacker 80 million, I don’t wanna hear about these DEs and Corners are asking for too much when they are infinitely more important than tremaine edmunds(who by the way is the worst middle linebacker for the bears since Barry Minter and Minter was versatile and made plays unlike edmunds)
I say take your time with the extension, don’t Sweat it.
Well now we’re going to have to decide if that was funnier than watching Trubisky attempting to be a QB.
Definitely not.
Sweat should milk them for every dollar. The Bears having to tag him would screw them massively, as they have Jaylen Johnson to worry about about, too.
Both of these guys want guaranteed money, not to be tagged. Guaranteed money brings long term security. Jaylen Johnson does not have the track record.
Right, we never see players refuse to come to agreements and instead accept the tag.
Sweat has all the leverage in negotiations. He could sit out 10 games if he’s tagged tbefore playing the mandatory and inevitable 6 (since Chicago won’t sniff the postseason), then walk because I doubt they’ll double up on a DE tag.
Likewise, Jaylon Johnson’s leverage has increased since Chicago invested a 2nd round pick on a player they must retain. Obviously that would revert to the former leverage if Sweat is extended, but either way, Chicago is putting themselves in a difficult position.
I don’t know.. it seems way too early to talk about holdouts. Sweat has an established track record for all to see. I don’t think there’s any way Poles made that trade without believing they would get a deal done. Johnson on the other hand, shouldn’t overplay his hand. He’s a solid cover corner. Period. He doesn’t create game changing turnovers and he’s missed a lot of games. If he’s looking for ELITE money, I could see the Bears letting him go and moving on. I wouldn’t blame em.
I agree that Johnson’s solid and not elite or anything, and his first few years were average so I question the reality of this “breakout.” I wouldn’t overpay him by any means. I suppose they may be banking on a comp pick if he walks, but it seems like they could have just dealt him to play it safe if they didn’t plan on doing everything to retain him. Although I suppose that’s a risk you have to take sometimes. It’s just easier for fans to live with that decision and outcome when their team is good.
myaccount2… All true- Especially the “especially when their team is good”. I think Pole’s mistake was not getting Johnson signed last offseason. If Johnson waits for free agency- it’s the smart move now- It’s gonna cost Poles a lot more to keep him.
I’m with you there, 100%. Hopefully Poles learns from these missteps and begins to take a better approach all-around.
He is going from a team that wasn’t/didn’t want to extend him to a team that traded good capital to acquire him early and sign him. The sooner you sign a market level extension the sooner you are protected from an injury taking money from you. Talking holdouts in any event is way premature.
If by “market-level,” you mean resetting the market or being paid amongst the top 5 at the position, for sure. But if his offers are below that and he’s also confident in his market, he shouldn’t be too antsy to extend because DEs are statistically one of the least injured position groups, according to FootballOutsiders and Falcoholic.
If he were a QB, RB, or OL I would agree wholeheartedly. But I think he should utilize his leverage all he can.
Poles better be working on it. Like 24/7.
The Bears and his agent already know what that number should be given the recent deals. If I’m Sweat I’m signing before I get injured playing out the rest of the season. Johnson on the other hand will bring back some compensatory picks as I’m a believer unless your elite CB you draft ones every year.
If the Bears are going to pay this guy should have kept their 2nd and signed him as a free agent. Washington wasn’t going to keep him.
The Bears paid a 2nd to not have to compete for him in free agency? Do they think he’s going to give the them a discount on the extension?