The Chicago Bears have answered one of their bigger backfield questions by locking up D’Andre Swift.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that Swift and the Bears agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $33.75 million, with $27.5 million guaranteed. Swift was heading into the final season of his deal, which made his future a talking point all offseason.
That uncertainty has now been removed. The Bears are clearly buying into Swift after a year in which he posted the best numbers of his NFL career, rushing for 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns. That rebound stood in sharp contrast to his first season in Chicago in 2024, when he had a career-low year and averaged under four yards per carry for the first time.
The move also signals what Chicago wants its backfield to look like going forward. There was plenty of chatter that the Bears might target a younger runner in 2026 or 2027 to pair with Kyle Monangai, but that path doesn’t appear to be the plan anymore.
Instead, the Bears are keeping Swift and Monangai together, and that pairing gave them plenty to like last season. The two backs combined for over 1,700 yards and 14 touchdowns, and many have viewed them as a top five duo in the NFL.
Monangai, a seventh round rookie last year, played well in his first season, but his contract will eventually need to be addressed too. For now, though, Chicago has secured a tandem that fits together cleanly.
Swift brings the speed. Monangai brings the power. And the Bears have made it clear they want both of them around for a while.
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The intrigue now is how far that fit can go once the offense gets deeper into its second season with Williams and Johnson working together. If the Bears keep leaning into the same formula, the ceiling is obvious: more chunk plays, more stress on opposing defenses, and a chance for Williams to become the kind of quarterback who turns design and daring into regular offense. The question is no longer whether the pieces make sense, but how explosive they can become when everything starts clicking. [Read more 🡒]
