Tyson Bagent is proving to be a valuable NFL quarterback in his second season with the Chicago Bears. The former D-II quarterback was an underdog to make the Bears roster last season as an undrafted rookie free agent. He made four starts last season when Justin Fields missed time with injury.
Bagent has hinted that he’s trying to show front offices that he can be a starting quarterback by putting good play on film during the preseason. With the Bears set at quarterback with Caleb Williams, Bagent doesn’t have a chance of winning the starting job in Chicago.
If necessary, could the Bears trade Bagent and receive more in return than what the Pittsburgh Steelers gave for Fields?
The Chicago Bears traded a conditional pick for Justin Fields
The Steelers gave the Bears a conditional sixth-round pick. If Fields plays 51% of the Steelers’ offensive snaps, the Bears would receive a 2025 fourth-round pick. One would assume Bagent only has a chance to fetch more than Fields in a trade if the Bears receive a sixth-round pick for their former first-round pick.
Last season, the Minnesota Vikings traded a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for backup quarterback Josh Dobbs and a conditional 2024 seventh-round pick. The value for backup quarterbacks is typically a Day 3 pick at the most.
Tyson Bagent has upside other backup quarterbacks don’t
However, Bagent ostensibly has upside that Dobbs didn’t. Bagent thinks he can be a potential starter. Maybe he can, perhaps he can’t. Right now, he’s a capable backup who is 2-2 as a starter, and he had a better winning percentage than Fields had last season.
What makes the Bagent-Fields value question interesting is how the Bears finalized the trade for Fields. The Bears traded Fields too late after free agency started for him to have a high value before the draft. And if the Bears had held onto Fields until the start of the season, they could have traded him for a better pick when injuries begin to hit starting quarterbacks in the regular season.
That same dynamic applies to Bagent. His value might not be worth more than a late Day 3 pick until the regular season starts claiming QB1s.
Would the Jets be interested in Bagent?
One interesting trade to consider for Bagent that could up his value would be the New York Jets. The Jets don’t have a succession plan for Aaron Rodgers, and the veteran quarterback could retire after this season. Maybe the Bears could piece Bagent and a draft pick for defensive end Haason Reddick.
If Bagent’s part in the deal would be more valuable than the Steelers’ sixth-round pick, he could become more valuable in a trade than Fields was.
The Bears aren’t likely to trade Bagent before the season. He arguably hasn’t put enough up on film to make trading him more valuable than keeping him as Williams’ backup.
But then again, neither did Fields.
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A deep pool of defensive backs could help the Bears reinforce the trenches through trades
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