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Quarterback Tyson Bagent of the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears currently possess a luxury every NFL team wants: a potentially great starting quarterback in Caleb Williams with a reliable backup in Tyson Bagent. But the nature of that advantage dictates that it can only last for so long.
Eventually, Bagent is going to want a chance to start. And eventually, some other team is going to give it to him — see Green Bay Packers backup QB Malik Willis and the market he’s looking at in March as potentially the top available signal-caller despite starting just six games in his career.
Chicago has Bagent under contract for the next two years on a good, and fair, deal worth $10 million total. Bagent’s trade value is strong at the moment, as the Arizona Cardinals are interested in potentially acquiring him as they look to shop two-time Pro Bowler Kyler Murray once the new league year begins.
And according to reporter Evan Sidery, another suitor has emerged with interest in Bagent — the Atlanta Falcons under new head coach Kevin Stefanski. The Falcons have announced their intention to release Kirk Cousins, while an injury-plagued Michael Penix Jr. enters the third year of what has been an up-and-down NFL tenure thus far.
The Falcons are viewed as a potential trade destination for Tyson Bagent.
The Bears appear open to moving Bagent, who could fetch Day 2 draft pick value as one of the NFL’s best backups thus far.
New Atlanta GM Ian Cunningham worked under Ryan Poles in Chicago.
“The Falcons are viewed as a potential trade destination for Tyson Bagent,” Sidery wrote on Tuesday, February 24, as the Combine kicked off. “The Bears appear open to moving Bagent, who could fetch a Day draft pick value as one of the NFL’s best backups thus far. New Atlanta GM Ian Cunningham worked under Ryan Poles in Chicago.”
Tyson Bagent Has Strong Trade Value Now, With Multiple Teams Interested
GettyChicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent.
Keeping Bagent for one more season and dealing him next spring is probably the optimal outcome for the Bears, simply because it creates a failsafe against Williams suffering any kind of injury.
If Bagent doesn’t play meaningful snaps, as he hasn’t over the last two years with Williams starting all 34 regular-season games and both playoff contests in January, his value shouldn’t deter.
However, trade return is also dictated by need at the position around the league and right now there are potentially two teams willing to fork over either a second-round or third-round draft pick to land Bagent. There is no guarantee that lasts another 12 months, which means the future market for the 25-year-old QB is murky.
Ryan Poles Indicates Bears Open to Trading Tyson Bagent
GettyGeneral manager Ryan Poles of the Chicago Bears.
For that reason alone, the Bears must at least strongly consider dealing Bagent in the coming weeks.
Poles, Chicago’s general manager, spoke about the trade talk swirling around Bagent during his media session at the Combine on Tuesday.
“We’ve gotten a few calls there. Obviously, the tough thing is, what [head coach] Ben [Johnson] thinks about Tyson, what I think about Tyson, what our locker room thinks about Tyson,” Poles said. “That’s a really tough decision for us. But for Tyson as well, I think he would have the opportunity to go perform for a team and do some really good things. But again, you have to weigh the short-term and long-term.”
Poles certainly didn’t shut down the possibility of trading Bagent with his comments, but did establish the organization’s perspective on its QB2, which Poles can use as a strong opening negotiating position in any coming trade conversations.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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