3 initial takeaways from the Chicago Bears extending Montez Sweat

The Chicago Bears did what everyone knew that they had to do. They gave Montez Sweat an extension. After the draft cost they put into him, the Bears could not risk losing him to free agency, and they got a deal done within a few days. What are the initial takeaways from the Montez Sweat trade and extension?

3. The Chicago Bears paid a hefty price tag for Montez Sweat.

The Chicago Bears gave Sweat a deal for $98M over four years. The deal is worth $24.5M per year, and in total, it will have $72.5M in guaranteed money. So, while it is a four-year deal, the minimum that the Bears will be on the hook for is three seasons. You can argue both sides of the deal, but you cannot argue that the Chicago Bears paid a lot for Sweat.

First, the second-round pick will be a pretty nice return in value for Washington. They will get a player making closer to $1M per year over the next four years, while the Bears will be paying Sweat and losing the pick.

When comparing Sweat to the top pass rushers in the NFL, you can see that he may have been overpaid a bit as well. Below is a comparison to Nick Bosa, TJ Watt, Joey Bosa, Myles Garrett, and Rashan Gary, the top five highest-paid edge rushers before Sweat was extended.

You can see that Sweat does not quite measure up to the top four. Even Joey Bosa, who has been a letdown due to injuries, has a half of a sack more and more pressures despite fewer pass rush attempts. Still, Sweat is nowhere close to the Nick Bosa, TJ Watt, or Myles Garrett tier besides making similar money, especially to Garrett.

There are a few reasons to explain this, and there is a reason to understand why the Chicago Bears did what they did.