Did 3 these future outcomes change for Chicago Bears at the NFL trade deadline?
1. The Chicago Bears have to extend Montez Sweat
This one is pretty clear. The Chicago Bears have to extend Montez Sweat at some point. By making this trade, Ryan Poles may have ensured his job for 2024, but he may have made life a little tougher when that time comes as well. Sweat is a free agent, and his agent is telling him that the Chicago Bears traded a top-40 pick for him on a wasted season. If they lose him in free agency, maybe Ryan Poles will get fired.
So, Sweat has a great chance to hold out for the most money possible. If he does not sign for well above what he is worth, the Chicago Bears will have to franchise tag him. Sweat is good, but the franchise tag is big money. It is the top five salaries on average at his position. Is he that good? It also sets a floor for his salary. If the tag is $20M, why would he ever take a deal less than that?
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He knows that is his salary for one year and would thin that he could play to make it go higher the next year. So, the Bears are in a spot where they need to try to extend him under the franchise tag before having to franchise tag him. Montez Sweat may make the Bears look bad, but he will be here for the next few years.