Tyson Bagent isn’t going anywhere.
The Bears agreed on Wednesday to give their backup quarterback a two-year contract extension. The deal keeps Bagent under contract through 2027.
“I’ve really been blown away by his approach from the spring to start of camp to where we are now,” coach Ben Johnson said before practice Wednesday. “He does a tremendous job knowing what to do, how to do it and getting it done.
“I don’t think you can have enough talent in that [quarterback] room. I think we actually have one of the best rooms in the NFL, certainly that I’ve been around in my career from top to bottom. I mean, we’ve got three, four guys that that can play in this league. And so I feel really strongly about where we’re at right there.”
Bagent was scheduled to play the last year of his three-year rookie deal before becoming a restricted free agent, which would have allowed the Bears a right of first refusal to keep him.
Bagent will get $10 million over two years but can make an extra $6 million with incentives.
Bagent has been steady as Caleb Williams’ backup the last two seasons. He started four times as a rookie when Justin Fields got hurt in 2023, going 2-2.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles and coach Ben Johnson have praised Bagent’s work ethic this offseason.
Bagent ranks third in Pro Football Focus’ passing grade and eighth in passer rating. In 2023, he ranked fifth in PFF’s passing grade among quarterbacks who took at least 20% of their team’s snaps. Last year, he ranked first in PFF’s passing grade and second in passer rating among similar passers.
That’s solid performance for someone with such humble beginnings. The West Virginia native played at Shepherd University and went undrafted despite setting the all-time Div. II record for career passing yards.
“This means the world to me,” Bagent said after Sunday’s 38-0 win against the Bills. “This is my life’s work being put into work, right here in front of everybody.”
