The Chicago Bears took a massive leap forward during Ben Johnson's first season as head coach. Chicago finished the regular season 11-6, winning the NFC North and even crushing Green Bay in the playoffs. Now the Bears seem to be mulling over trading their popular backup quarterback at the start of the offseason.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles confirmed that Chicago has received trade calls about QB Tyson Bagent, per Adam Hoge of CHGO Bears.
Poles said that a potential Bagent trade is a “really tough decision” that requires weighing both the short- and long-term interests for the Bears. He added that the cost of having to replace Bagent could be a factor in his price.
Bagent has only played in 12 games during his short NFL career with only four starts. He logged 917 passing yards with three touchdowns and six interceptions, plus two rushing touchdowns, in those games.
Bagent's potential has charmed both the Bears and other NFL teams.
The young quarterback was subject to trade rumors during the 2025 offseason. However, the Bears locked him up on a two-year contract worth $10 million back in August.
Bagent is once again the subject of trade rumors ahead of the 2026 offseason. The Arizona Cardinals are one team that seems particularly interested in him.
Phoenix radio host John Gambadoro reported on February 17th that Arizona is “intrigued” by Bagent.
“Have heard the Cardinals are intrigued by Bears backup QB Tyson Bagent…,” Gambadoro said. “Grew up in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and went to Shepherd University. Was an undrafted free-agent who beat out PJ Walker for the backup job with Chicago and was so good the Bears signed him to a 2-year $10M extension.”
The Cardinals currently still have Kyler Murray as their franchise quarterback. However, it is unclear if Mike LaFleur's new regimen in Arizona will want to keep Murray around in 2026.
If the Cardinals do move on from Murray, Bagent could be a tempting replacement.
It will be fascinating to see if the Bears actually decide to trade Bagent during the 2026 offseason.
