The easiest thing for a professional athlete to do is to get a big head. Hype and national exposure can leave a massive opening for an equally massive ego to fill.

Conceit can ravage a locker room and sabotage a supreme talent. Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent doesn't have that problem.

With Bagent's improbable run as first-string QB coming to an end due to Justin Fields' impending return from a thumb injury, the former NCAA Division II star is carrying the same humble mindset he had upon starting his first NFL game in Week 7 of this season. Bagent shared his gratitude for the massive opportunity after the Bears' 16-13 home win over the Carolina Panthers Thursday night.

“I don't know if this is it. … (But) I learned that it's really hard to win in the NFL,” Chris Emma of 670 The Score posted on X. “Appreciate all the wins. Really, I appreciate the team. Staff and players included, they all rallied behind me. I never had a doubt for a second that they all had my back.”

Bears QB Tyson Bagent's brief emergence could have been scripted

Bagent's words bring to mind the 2000 sports comedy, “The Replacements.” A ragtag bunch, led by Keanu Reeves' Shane Falco, filled in for a star-studded team that was on strike. They scrapped their way past inconceivable odds, earned a playoff berth and returned to their previous lives when the strike ended. Tyson Bagent is remaining on Chicago's roster, of course, but he will fade right back into the background.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Caleb Williams’ message to Matt Eberflus about return will hype up fans
Bears player Tyler Scott’s perfect plan after Hall of Fame Game will make fans smile
NFL fans go bonkers over Bears vs. Texans Hall of Fame Game’s conclusion
NFL fans go crazy after first Dynamic Kickoff in Bears-Texans Hall of Fame Game

To be clear, he did not elevate the Bears to new heights. The Bears remain in desperate need of an offensive savior, one who must come in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The 23-year-old rookie out of Shepherd University threw five interceptions in four starts and averaged less than 5 yards per completion against the Panthers. Bagent is unlikely to lead a team again, unless more unforeseen circumstances present themselves.

But he ends this exciting and unpredictable first chapter of his NFL journey with a lifetime's worth of memories and two wins under his belt. Who says it's only a game?