Montez Sweat flexed his leverage, Bears lock in a foundational piece
The Chicago Bears and newly acquired edge rusher Montez Sweat have agreed to a massive contract extension days after the trade was finalized, and the contract proved to be a win-win for both sides. When the Bears traded for Sweat on Tuesday, they did so without first having a set contract offer on the table […]
The Chicago Bears and newly acquired edge rusher Montez Sweat have agreed to a massive contract extension days after the trade was finalized, and the contract proved to be a win-win for both sides.
When the Bears traded for Sweat on Tuesday, they did so without first having a set contract offer on the table before shipping away an early second-round selection. That decision quickly turned all of the leverage into Sweat's favor in terms of negotiating a new deal.
Sweat used that leverage to get a massive $72.87 million in guarantees, according to Ian Rapoport. While the guarantees make this deal look like an overpay for Chicago, it actually will still work out perfectly for both sides.
Sweat was rightfully able to strong arm the Bears into getting more money guaranteed on the new deal, but the Bears should be ecstatic for even locking him into one. The team now has a foundational piece locked in on defense that general manager Ryan Poles can now begin building around.
Based on the contract terms, Sweat will be getting $24.5 million annually, which ranks fifth in the NFL. With more edge rushers eyeing new contracts in the near future, this deal could quickly look like a bargain for the Bears despite still handing Sweat the money he was looking for.
Players such as Chase Young, Brian Burns and Danielle Hunter are soon going to reset the market at the position in the coming months ahead and the Bears were able to get ahead on the trend by sacrificing their second-round pick.
When this trade was finalized earlier in the week without a deal in place, it spelled out bad news for the Bears front office. However, Poles was able to turn this situation around into a deal that worked out perfectly for both sides.
The Bears new, and freshly-paid, defensive weapon will be making his debut with the team tomorrow against the New Orleans Saints. Sweat, with 6.5 sacks on the season, has over half the total sacks from the entire Bears defensive unit (10).
Let's see how impactful the team's new pass rusher will be right out of the gate.
Bears sign Montez Sweat to massive extension
Well, that didn't take long. The Chicago Bears traded for Montez Sweat at the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday and now they've locked him up for the long term. The Bears have signed Sweat to a four-year, $98 million deal that is worth up to $105 million. That contract jumps Maxx Crosby and makes Sweat […]
