Trading for Montez Sweat by itself garnered mixed reactions. Some people think the Chicago Bears were crazy to do so. They’re 2-6. They have no business giving up another valuable draft pick for a veteran player. Others think he will be a big help to the franchise. However, much of this comes down to Sweat’s contract situation. He is a free agent in 2024. Giving up a 2nd round pick for a nine-game rental in a lost season would be an all-time bad move. However, if the Bears can lock him up to an extension, he becomes a valuable building block for their defense.
GM Ryan Poles expressed optimism that a deal can and will get done. Sweat isn’t there yet; he’s still trying to figure out where he’s at in the locker room and finding a new home. Some people have criticized Poles for making the deal without at least talking to Sweat’s representation about a contract. As it turns out, that was out of his control. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune revealed that the Washington Commanders deliberately revoked Sweat and his agent from negotiating with other teams.
“However, a source with knowledge of the situation told me Washington did not grant Sweat’s representation permission to shop for a trade and new contract. That would have made it easier for the Bears and removed an element of risk in the deal. The Commanders also could have increased their asking price beyond a second-round pick had they extended that option.
However, there’s a nuance to this that you need to understand. Teams sometimes hesitate to grant permission for players to seek trades because that can remove their control of the situation. In this instance, the Commanders didn’t allow Sweat’s party to grab the steering wheel, and that left them in position to dictate what they felt was best.”
He has a lot of leverage in these talks, knowing he’s a free agent next year and Chicago gave up a lot to get him. The good news is the Bears have tons of spending money. They’re projected to have over $110 million in cap space next year. Extending Sweat shouldn’t be an issue, even if they overpay to get it done. Current projections have him getting somewhere in the $25 million per year range, the same territory as Rashan Gary and Myles Garrett. It’s a lot, but Sweat is good enough to justify it.
Better still, by trading for him, the Bears don’t spend that money on the free agent market. That means they can adhere to the compensatory pick formula for 2025 if they wish. Montez Sweat is going to get his money. It comes down to how greedy he is about it. If he pushes to get closer to Nick Bosa and his $34 million per year number, that will create problems. That said, it seems unlikely he will decline a four-year deal for $100 million. Chicago can offer that without blinking an eye and have more than enough cap space left over.
