Tyson Bagent’s two-year, $10 million extension may not stand out on the Bears’ nine-figure salary cap table, but the the quarterback, it means more than money.
The 25-year-old, who can earn up to $16 million with incentives, per ESPN, got emotional when discussing the deal that will kick in following the 2025 season and makes him one of the highest-paid backups in the NFL.
“A lot of people don’t know this, but my dad, he’s my righthand man,” a teary Bagent told reporters on Wednesday. “He didn’t even have running water until he was in high school. There’s definitely a lot of things — and people — that I could certainly help with this gift I’ve been blessed with. Little things like that, I don’t really even know anybody back at home that doesn’t need money. It feels good. It’s certainly a weight off my shoulders, my family’s shoulders. It definitely means a lot.”
Undrafted out of Division II Shepherd University, where he won the 2021 Harlon Hill Trophy, he’s served as the team’s No. 2 QB since 2023 and has made a sizable impression on the Chicago franchise.
“There isn’t a harder worker on this football team than Tyson Bagent,” GM Ryan Poles said during Sunday’s broadcast of a preseason game against the Bills.
“Tyson epitomizes what we are building at the Chicago Bears,” head coach Ben Johnson said Wednesday. “We are constructing a team that is driven by belief and built by hard work, and there is no better example of that than Tyson Bagent.”
Bagent completed 12 of 22 pass attempts against the Bills, accruing 196 yards and a touchdown as he prepares to serve behind starter Caleb Williams on the depth chart.
Joining Texans backup Davis Mills as the only current No. 2 QBs to receive a contract extension before their rookie deals expired isn’t something he’ll be taking lightly.
“It means the world,” Bagent said. “That is the best compliment I can think of receiving. It means the world. It allows me to come into the office with as much confidence as I could possibly have. As long as I can feel like that and continue to work as hard as I can — the harder I work, the luckier I get. Just trying to keep that thing going.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
