Adam Schefter’s latest draft intel helps explain why the Tyson Bagent trade rumors cooled down — and how it can heat back up
The Arizona Cardinals were intrigued by Chicago Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent earlier in the offseason but the team will first try to go after a top quarterback option in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Chicago Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent was a popular name during the week of the NFL Combine back in February when general manager Ryan Poles revealed teams had been in contact with Chicago regarding the former undrafted free agent.
The lead team showing interest in the Bears’ three-year quarterback was the Arizona Cardinals, however talks quickly died down after the event and many believed that was due to Chicago’s high return demands. However, the Cardinals might have thought they’d have better shot to land a long-term QB option in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Cardinals are seemingly high on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson and one team’s actions after the NFL Combine made it a little easier for Arizona to find a way to land the incoming rookie quarterback. Which might have been the real reason talks cooled off with Chicago.
Los Angeles Rams were interested in Ty Simpson prior to the Trent McDuffie trade
“When the Rams sent the No. 29 pick to the Chiefs in a deal for cornerback Trent McDuffie, it had one unintended consequence that some might not have realized: It hurt the chances that quarterback Ty Simpson would be a first-round pick. . .
“League sources say the Rams had been eyeing him, but more so with the No. 29 pick than No. 13, which they still hold. Had the Rams not traded for McDuffie and held onto No. 29, sources say that Simpson would have been square in the conversation to land in Los Angeles behind Matthew Stafford,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday.
After making that trade in early March, after the NFL Combine, the Rams essentially put themselves out of the running to land Simpson (unless they take a big swing with the 13th overall pick). That opened the door for other interested teams to have a clearer path toward landing Simpson in the draft.
Schefter added that the two teams to watch for Simpson are the New York Jets and the Cardinals, with both teams picking atop the first and second-rounds.
Cardinals getting sniped off Ty Simpson could reignite trade talks with the Bears for Tyson Bagent
Even though the door closed on the Bagent trade talks after the NFL Combine, talks could reignite during the 2026 NFL Draft later this week if the Cardinals miss out on landing Simpson.
As mentioned previously, the Rams aren’t fully out of the conversation and the Pittsburgh Steelers lurk as well in the first-round to potentially land Simpson. And then you have the Jets with the 16th and 33rd overall picks. All of which are landing spots for Simpson that all pick before the Cardinals are on the clock with the 34th overall pick.
The only other viable option for Arizona would be to trade up into the first-round ahead of the Jets and hope the Rams and Steelers pass on Simpson. Chicago could even be a trade back team to watch with the 25th overall pick.
If that plan fails to materialize and another team takes Simpson off the board, the Cardinals could easily pivot back to Bagent and try to work out a deal with the Bears.
All of this to say, one should expect the phone lines between Chicago and Arizona to heat back up later this week as the Cardinals evaluate all potential QB options going into the 2026 season.
