The Bears have restarted their quarterback contract clock, swapping out a fourth season of Justin Fields for Caleb Williams‘ rookie deal. That will give the NFC North team more roster flexibility, helping make two recent big-ticket extensions palatable.
Chicago authorized high-priced re-ups for Montez Sweat and Jaylon Johnson between November and March. The first of those deals, for Sweat, obviously came before the team knew Williams was Chicago-bound. Sweat came to the Windy City in a deadline deal for a second-round pick, ending a five-year Washington run.
Sweat said the Commanders, who were transitioning from Dan Snyder to Josh Harris during the defensive end’s contract year, did not engage in extension talks. Upon hearing from Ron Rivera that he would be traded, Sweat said (via The Athletic’s Dan Pompei) “some things I wanted to take back.” It turned out Rivera and then-DC Jack Del Rio wanted to keep Sweat, but Harris made a push for the team to trade both its starting D-ends — as Chase Young was later dealt to the 49ers — to accumulate draft capital. That ended up helping Adam Peters and Dan Quinn, with Rivera fired after an eight-game losing streak.
The Bears did hammer out an extension with Sweat days after his arrival, signing the 2019 first-rounder to a four-year, $98MM deal before Week 9. Sweat took a diplomatic approach publicly when asked about an extension, but the relocating defender had told the Bears (via Pompei) he would not have debuted without an extension in place.
Rivera said in August that Sweat negotiations — on hold due to the ownership transfer — could end up taking place, but they did not come to pass. With Young running into career-altering injury trouble midway through the 2021 season, Sweat served as Washington’s edge anchor. No Pro Bowl nods came, but the five-year starter accumulated 35.5 sacks during his time in Washington. This included six before the 2023 trade. Sweat, 27, did receive a Pro Bowl invite after finishing last season with 12.5 sacks.
The Bears may be in the market for another D-end, with a Yannick Ngakoue reunion potentially on the table. The Commanders have retooled around ex-Quinn Cowboys pieces, signing Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler. The team also signed Clelin Ferrell. None of these talents has performed on Sweat’s level, but ownership and Washington’s previous football staff moved him out of the equation before the Peters-Quinn duo arrived. Washington traded down (via Philadelphia) from the Sweat-obtained draft slot (No. 40), picking up an extra second-rounder in the process. After drafting Johnny Newton with their own second-rounder, the Commanders turned the Sweat choice into cornerback Mike Sainristil and tight end Ben Sinnott.