As offseason trade rumors began to circulate leading up to and during the NFL Combine, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson made his feelings about No. 2 quarterback Tyson Bagent absolutely clear.
"I love Tyson. That's one that kind of pulls at your hearstrings a little bit, because he's someone that you care about so deeply. And he's a hell of a football player, that at some point, you wanna see have a chance to do it himself."We'll always do what’s best for our team and our organization."
"I do think there's a lot of merit to having a strong No. 2 quarterback, which, he certainly fits that bill. I’m of the mind that he's probably one of the best 32 in the NFL. His preseason tape over that last few years has (probably) confirmed that, in my opinion."
Right or wrong, the Bears value Bagent very highly. In some way, that value, and perhaps his appeal to others teams, was rooted in the mystery of him. Four starts for a reeling Bears' team during the 2023 season was not a ding to his resume, and Johnson's praise of him feels like something others team would pay attention to.
What surely hurt Bagent's trade value, or the perception of his trade value, is a stretch of games earlier this season. When he and Caleb Williams were both out in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Case Keenum got the start and was efficient in a decisive victory.
Bagent started Week 4 against the New York Jets, and the Bears won despite multiple "should've been" interceptions that were negated by Jets' penalties. Then he started the blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 5, where he should've been benched for Keenum sooner than he was.
Bears have a new and ideal potential Tyson Bagent trade suitor
On Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, the Baltimore Ravens welcomed back quarterback Lamar Jackson from a three-game injury absence. His return lasted all of one play, before he suffered a thumb injury that will land him on IR and perhaps end his season.
Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley lasted until the second quarter before he suffered a toe injury that could be deemed turf toe pending an MRI on Monday. So the Ravens were down to undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano to finish the game against Buffalo, and there's naturally plenty of buzz about them being in the market for a quarterback as they head into a short week before playing the Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday night.
On Sunday night, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio made the obvious tie from the Ravens to Bagent.
“The Bears have three quarterbacks, one of them is Tyson Bagent. Declan Doyle, the Ravens’ offensive coordinator, was the Bears’ offensive coordinator last year. Don’t be surprised if the Ravens reach out, still nine days left until the trade window. I’m told, though, it would not be easy to get him away from the Bears."
Apparently, and unsurprisingly, the Bears still won't easily part with Bagent in a trade. But the end of Johnson's comments back in late-February could be telling.
"If I took myself out of the equation, I want what's best for him. If he would like an opportunity to start, I certainly hope he can get that somewhere."
While Johnson's level of affinity for Bagent is absolutely clear, Doyle seems to shares some similar sentiment.
"Tyson is very businesslike,” Doyle early in 2025 training camp. “Football is really important to him. He’s excellent in the position room. And out on the field he’s constantly communicating what he sees and where he needs to go with the football when he comes back, and what the problems might be. He sees the game pretty clearly and that’s because he takes it really seriously and he studies.”
If the Bears can get realistic about Bagent's trade value, in light of what his most recent meaningful playing time has shown, they should be willing to move him. The Ravens may also be sufficiently desperate to come close to meeting their asking price, since Bagent should be able to pretty much step right into running Doyle's offense like no other theoretically available quarterback can.
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