All signs point toward the Bears getting the Tyson Bagent news they hoped for to keep a strong roster in place for 2026
The Chicago Bears have to be thrilled to keep a promising player on the roster to continue developing.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson continues to be a happy man on Tuesday with the latest NFL free agency developments. After signing former Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond to rejoin him in Chicago, all signs are now pointing toward Johnson retaining one of his favorite players.
That player is quarterback Tyson Bagent, the team’s undrafted free agent signing in 2023 that’s continued to develop into a promising backup. Multiple teams were intrigued by Bagent but the Bears held a firm price to consider such a move, and now all viable teams have found another option.
QB-needy teams have now found new options not named Tyson Bagent in free agency
The Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets all stood out as potential teams that would have been interested in trading for Bagent. The reported price to pry him out of Chicago was a Day 2 draft pick and no team was eager to meet those demands and the Bears weren’t going to budge.
The Cardinals opted for the veteran route by signing Gardner Minshew to backup Jacoby Brissett. The Miami Dolphins used their Green Bay connections to land Malik Willis after releasing Tua Tagovailoa. And the New York Jets are planning to write back to Geno Smith after agreeing to a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, with Carson Wentz in the mix as a backup option (which spells the end of Justin Fields’ time in New York).
That leaves the best case scenario for the Bears, Tyson Bagent is staying put in Chicago.
Bears have strong feelings about Tyson Bagent and now keep the QB room intact for 2026
While speaking at the NFL Combine about the possibility of outside interest in Bagent, the Bears’ top decision-makers made it clear how they feel about Bagent the player and role he plays for the team.
“I love Tyson,” Johnson explained. “That’s one that kinda pulls at your heart strings a little bit because he’s someone that you care about so deeply and he’s a helluva football player. At some point, you want to see him have a chance to do it himself.
We’ll always do what’s best for our team and our organization. I do think there’s a lot of merit to having a strong number two quarterback, which he certainly fits that bill. I’m of the mind that he’s probably one of the best 32 in the NFL. His preseason tape over the last two years confirmed that in my opinion. But, if I took myself out of the equation, I want what’s best for him. If he would like an opportunity to start, I certainly hope he can get that at some point.”
Keeping Bagent was always the ideal path for Chicago unless they could tempt a desperate team into giving up a significant draft pick in return. That’s now unlikely to happen the Bears are surely pumped.
Along with keeping Bagent, the Bears also re-signed veteran quarterback Case Keenum to a two-year, $5.5 million deal. Chicago’s quarterback room continues to be a real strength behind Caleb Williams going into a pivotal third season as the franchise quarterback.
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