Bears sign QB Tyson Bagent to 2-year extension: What it means for him and the team

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The Chicago Bears took a chance on quarterback Tyson Bagent in 2023, signing the undrafted free agent out of Division II Shepherd University.

It’s safe to say the move has paid off for both sides.

The Bears have signed Bagent to a two-year contract extension, the team announced Wednesday. The deal is worth $10 million, a league source confirmed.

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Being linked with head coach Ben Johnson and this coaching staff mattered for Bagent in the process and convinced him to sign up for more years in Chicago, even as a backup.

“This extension with this staff and these offensive minds, I think — for the longevity of my career and wherever I end up in the years to come — will serve me well down the line,” he said.

When Bagent arrived in Chicago, he was the No. 4 quarterback behind Nathan Peterman and P.J. Walker — and Walker had received a two-year, $4.1 million contract. By August, Bagent had supplanted both, and the Bears released Walker.

“I do like to think that I’ve been confident the whole time, but a lot of it has just been just trying to stay as ready as I can and really just fake it until I make it; (that) has been the whole thing with me,” Bagent said. “Just not leaving my hotel room until I’m comfortable with all the information that we’re going to go through on that given day. And I think just that alone allows you to play a little more free than if you’re kind of out there unsure of what to do.”

For Bagent, 25, the extension solidifies his role as the primary backup to Caleb Williams and keeps him with Chicago through the 2027 season. Bagent put together a strong outing in the Bears’ latest preseason win against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, leading three touchdown drives in the first half.

“One of the worst things that can happen to you in a season is when you see your starter go down and you don’t feel confident with the guy behind him,” general manager Ryan Poles told The Athletic. “And everybody in this organization believes in that kid, where if something were to happen, he could take the reins and run with them. And he has the respect of his teammates, too. We wanted to reward him for that and everything he stands for. He has a really cool way about him that makes football fun, that makes preparing fun. He’s just a very unique individual who we want here for a long period of time.”

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Bagent showed early flashes as a rookie when he started four games in place of former Bears quarterback Justin Fields.

“Even though he’s a backup quarterback, his work ethic and leadership when he needs to step into that role has been really good,” Poles said. “I think we’ve all been impressed in the front office when you go back to his rookie year and he had to play for a month and he went .500. … That showed a lot.”

Poles added that the Bears have seen “another acceleration” in Bagent’s development under new head coach Ben Johnson. This preseason, Bagent’s 91.4 passer rating is the third highest in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least 40 pass attempts.

“I’ve really been blown away by his approach from the spring to the start of camp to where we are now,” Johnson said. “He does a tremendous job knowing what to do, how to do it and getting it done.

“The people in the building already had such a high opinion of him. No, I wasn’t surprised by anything he’s done so far. He and I are probably wired very similar. When he enters a room, he’s usually all business. To get him to crack a smile sometimes is a challenge.”

Bagent is the first Bears quarterback to receive a contract extension since Jay Cutler in January 2014.

Let’s discuss what this extension means for Bagent and the Bears.

Fishbain: Dan, what a way to welcome you to The Athletic — a Tyson Bagent contract extension. The way he’s talked about in the building, as seen in the aforementioned quotes, you’d think he was a starter and perennial Pro Bowler. Players, coaches, everyone loves the way he is wired, and he’s backed it up with his play. They brought in Case Keenum, and all Bagent did was solidify himself as the No. 2 quarterback and earn a contract. It makes sense on a multitude of levels. What’s the significance of getting a deal like this done with a player like him?

From DII to two-year extension pic.twitter.com/U8fd9JoQon — Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 20, 2025

Wiederer: The Bears felt like they had a diamond in the rough in Bagent when he arrived two years ago. And they feel just as strongly about the young quarterback now, confident in his ability to handle everything that comes with the QB2 role but equally convinced he has starter potential. So, in the short term, this extension gives the Bears longer-term insurance in case something were to happen to Williams. It also allows Johnson to continue developing another quarterback with whom he has developed a strong connection beyond this season.

Bagent has taken to Johnson’s coaching style. And Johnson has quickly come to admire Bagent’s everyday investment in his growth.

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“He’s so serious about his job,” Johnson said Wednesday afternoon. “He wants to do so well, and he wants the team to do well. He’s always locked in. I can appreciate that about him. I can relate.”

Fishbain: I want to be careful to not touch a third-rail topic here, but it is beneficial for Caleb Williams to have Bagent with him in the quarterbacks room, one Johnson called one of the best he’s been around. This is not meant to drum up a quarterback competition, but it should only help Williams to have a backup who is as uber-competitive as Bagent. We know how well Bagent knows the offense, so he can be a resource in the film room with Williams, too. It’s an unusual setup, but Bagent gets his role and can always be ready if needed while supporting the starter.

Wiederer: Case Keenum’s presence is helpful for Williams and Bagent, providing some of that invaluable veteran wisdom and guidance young quarterbacks can thrive off. But I agree with you that Bagent’s competitive edge will inevitably push Williams, too. Bagent has zero complacency. And he is going to push to take his quarterback journey as far as it can go.

I would also emphasize that having Bagent around will give some of Johnson’s demanding coaching an even sharper edge for all the quarterbacks — if that’s possible. Even as the Bears have used the spring and summer to help Williams become more proficient and polished with his operational responsibilities, Bagent has taken to many of those same tasks with great success. And there’s no reason why anyone inside of Halas Hall or outside should feel nervy about acknowledging that. It is what it is.

The next part of this conversation is figuring out what the structure of Bagent’s extension really means, keeping him under the Bears’ control through 2027.

Fishbain: It’s a unique deal, to be sure. Bagent was due to be a restricted free agent at year’s end. The Bears could’ve given him an extension then, or tried an RFA tender, estimated by Over the Cap to be $3.4 million, but if another team signed him to an offer sheet, they’d get no compensation. The next level up would be a second-round tender, projected to be $5.6 million. One somewhat similar contract would be the Texans’ Davis Mills, who, after only two seasons, signed a one-year, $5 million extension. This offers even more job security. With Bagent on that contract and Williams still on his rookie deal, the Bears are in good shape in terms of money being allocated at quarterback.

OK, the financials are out of the way. We know Bagent will be here for the next couple of seasons. I think it’s also worth noting how much this meant to Bagent, and the importance for guys in the locker room to see someone who works as hard as he does, as a backup, get rewarded.

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Wiederer: Bagent’s Wednesday afternoon session with the media was overflowing with raw emotion from a 25-year-old who just three years ago was playing Division II ball at Shepherd University, just 10 minutes from his home in Martinsburg, W.Va.

A little more than two years ago, he arrived at Halas Hall as an NFL long shot, as QB4 behind Justin Fields, P.J. Walker and Nathan Peterman. Now? Bagent is entrenched in a city he has grown to love, working under a coaching staff he deeply admires, with a team that genuinely appreciates how he handles his business. Hence, the big post-practice cheer Wednesday when Johnson allowed Bagent to break the team down.

“It means the world,” Bagent said. “It’s good to know the people up top got my back, but it’s even better to know that the dudes we’re out there fighting with, the love is there with them, too.”

Furthermore, for a humble but driven young man who has always been family-first with ultra-close relationships with his parents, his two brothers and his sister, Bagent was floored by how the money in his new extension will affect his family.

“I mean, I can’t even really get too much into it without crying or whatever,” he said through tears. “But it means a lot.”

That’s made-for-the-big-screen warmth right there.

The Athletic’s Jeff Howe contributed to this report.

(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

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