The Chicago Bears spent a second-round pick to acquire Montez Sweat but doing so looked like a risky move without an extension to keep him in Chicago beyond the 2023 season.
On Saturday, the Bears answered those concerns by coming to an agreement with Sweat on a four-year extension worth $98 million, according to Ian Rapoport.
The move will have a pretty sizable ripple effect for Chicago. Now, they can use their franchise tag on cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
And by reaching agreement on a contract extension with newly-acquired DE Montez Sweat, the Bears now preserve their franchise tag should they need to use it on CB Jaylon Johnson, who requested a trade last week. https://t.co/2Sh5Ga2SrS
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 4, 2023
Signing Montez Sweat frees up the Bears to tag Jaylon Johnson
Johnson requested a trade just before the deadline but he couldn't find a team to take him out of Chicago.
Signing Sweat to a big extension doesn't necessarily rid the Bears of all their problems though. Johnson had previously expressed disappointment over the idea that Sweat would get an extension before him.
Reporter: “So if (Montez Sweat) does get an extension before you, would that not sit right with you?”
— Justin Fields Fan Club (@JustinFieldsFC) November 1, 2023
Jaylon Johnson: “No it wouldn’t, for sure” pic.twitter.com/OfNUAmsXFT
Well, Sweat got his extension and Johnson is likely heading towards a franchise tag. The cornerback would make upwards of $19 million on the tag. Jacob Infante projected that the Bears have enough salary cap to sign Johnson to a longer deal making an average of $18 million per year.
After the #Bears signed Montez Sweat for $24.5 million AAV, they still have a ton of cap space left for 2024.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) November 4, 2023
If Sweat's 2024 cap hit is $24.5M (it'll be a bit cheaper), they have just over $82M left to spend. That leaves opportunity for signings like:
• CB Jaylon Johnson:…
So the Bears can have the best of both worlds with the defensive lineman and the cornerback, but they've got to work out a deal with the latter first. We'll see how it all plays out when the season is done.
Johnson, who was a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Utah, is in his fourth season with the Bears. He has two interceptions, four pass defenses and a forced fumble this season. Pro Football Focus rates him as the sixth-best cornerback in the league with the fourth-best coverage grade.
Sweat was a first-round pick for the Commanders in 2019. He had eight sacks last season and already had 6.5 this year to go along with 10 tackles for loss and 11 QB hits. But in the last year of his deal with Washington, the Commanders decided to deal him while they focus on a rebuild.