Tyson Bagent Trade Calls Fielded by Bears, GM Ryan Poles Discusses Possibility of Move in NFL FA

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles confirmed the team has received outside interest in backup quarterback Tyson Bagent.

Poles told reporters the Bears expected Bagent to be targeted when both free agency and the 2026 NFL draft are considered thin at QB. He said Chicago faces "a really tough decision" given all of the factors at play.

"Obviously the tough thing is with what Ben (Johnson) thinks about Tyson, what I think about Tyson, what our locker room thinks about Tyson," he said. "But for Tyson as well, he would have an opportunity to go and perform for a team and do some really good things."

Bagent barely saw the field over the last two years with the arrival of Caleb Williams. Since the start of 2024, he has logged 27 combined offensive snaps.

His work in relief of Justin Fields in 2023 did turn some heads, though. Making four starts, Bagent threw for 776 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions.

The fact the 25-year-old is on the radar for rival teams at all illustrates the dire state of the quarterback market right now.

Indiana star Fernando Mendoza is the consensus No. 1 quarterback in the draft, and he's fourth overall in Bleacher Report's 2026 big board. However, Alabama's Ty Simpson is the only other passer to crack the top 50.

It's a similar story in free agency, where the headliners include Malik Willis, Daniel Jones, Russell Wilson and perhaps Aaron Rodgers if he wants to go another year. We'll soon be able to add Kirk Cousins to the mix.

From that standpoint, taking a flier on Bagent makes sense. He has a cap hit of $4.8 million over the next two years, and the cost to acquire him should be similarly low.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reported on Feb. 17 the Arizona Cardinals "are intrigued" by the idea.

Still, it's not even clear whether Bagent is a good backup. During his only spell of meaningful action to this point, he averaged 194 yards per game and had a 73.0 passer rating.

Jake Browning looked much better across a longer period when he filled in for an injured Joe Burrow in 2023. When Burrow was sidelined again in 2025, Browning performed so badly the Cincinnati Bengals had to scramble and trade for Joe Flacco.

If the Bears manage to flip Bagent for a good Day 3 draft pick, that would be a solid piece of business.