The Chicago Bears have one of the league’s better backup quarterback setups, and they’re hoping it stays that way for a very simple reason: they don’t want to need it.
Tyson Bagent sits behind Caleb Williams as the kind of insurance every contender wants but rarely talks about until disaster strikes. He may not matter much on the field this season, but the Bears are clearly comfortable knowing he’s there if they ever need him. Ben Johnson and Chicago would prefer not to find out, but if Williams misses time, Bagent has already shown enough to keep the offense from unraveling.
That value is part of why Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports ranked the Bears’ backup quarterback group sixth among 16 NFL contenders in a recent piece. Sullivan included current third-string quarterback Case Keenum as well, noting the veteran’s decade-plus of experience as a useful addition to a room that otherwise leans young.
The bigger point is that the Bears are not treating quarterback depth like an afterthought. Around the league, contenders are investing in that spot, with teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, and Kansas City Chiefs all putting real resources into their QB rooms.
For Chicago, the calculation is tied directly to Williams, who is the face of the franchise and the centerpiece of Johnson’s offense. But Bagent’s contract tells its own story. The $10 million set to hit his account over the next two seasons shows how much the Bears value having a steady fallback option.
And Bagent has already given them a reason to trust him. Since Williams arrived, he has barely played, logging only six passes over the last two seasons and completing five for 58 yards.
Before that, in 2023, his rookie year, he made four starts for Chicago. The Bears went 2-2 in those games, and Bagent completed 65.1% of his throws while accounting for four touchdowns and five interceptions.
His name also surfaced in trade chatter earlier this offseason, when he drew significant interest. That only added to the sense that the Bears are holding onto a backup with real value, even if they hope he never has to step into the spotlight.
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