Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Ben Johnson and the Bears Secure Caleb Williams’ Backup – Undrafted Quarterback Becomes Emotional over $10 Million Extension

Bagent will now remain in Chicago through 2027

Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears took a unique approach by becoming one of the rare teams in the league to extend the services of their backup quarterback, Tyson Bagent. The 25-year-old, who went undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft, has now signed a two-year extension worth $10 million.

Bagent has the chance to earn up to $16 million with added incentives in his contract. Irrespective, he will earn an average of $5 million once the new deal kicks in following the end of the 2025 season.

The #Bears are signing QB Tyson Bagent to a two-year, $10M contract extension with a max value of $16M with incentives, his reps at Milk and Honey Sports and Key Player Management tell The Insiders.@CHGO_Bears first had the deal, which ties Bagent to Chicago through 2027. pic.twitter.com/0dwyRvA0QG
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 20, 2025

Emotions Flow Following Extension

As an undrafted free agent in 2023, the Bears signed Bagent on a three-year rookie deal worth $2.72 million with a $25,000 signing bonus and an average salary of $906,667. And while that was just the start of his career, the new extension that he received yesterday provided a very touching moment.

During a media session, Bagent broke down just thinking about how much life has changed for him as he recalled the earlier days. Coming from a background where he had never seen so much money, the West Virginia native is now overwhelmed with the fact that he can help so many others with what he terms ‘a gift.’

“A lot of people don’t know this, but my dad, he is my right hand man, and he didn’t have running water until he was in high school,” said Bagent after his deal. “So there’s definitely a lot of things and people that I think I could certainly help with this gift I’ve been blessed with. Little things like that, I don’t really even know anybody back at home that doesn’t need money. It feels good. It’s certainly a weight off my shoulders, my family’s shoulders. It definitely means a lot.”

#Bears QB Tyson Bagent had tears in his eyes today reflecting on signing a $10M contract extension.

“My dad is my right-hand man. He didn’t even have running water until he was in high school.” 🥹

(🎥 @GNSportsTV)pic.twitter.com/b5WB0U5IcV
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 20, 2025

Bagent’s NFL Journey

Bagent was entering the final year of his three-year rookie deal after the Bears signed him upon the conclusion of the 2023 draft. The former Division II college football player for the Shepherd Rams started 4 games for the Bears in his rookie season.

Guiding the team to a 2-2 record, Bagent threw for 859 yards with 3 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Last season, he appeared in four games but had very limited snaps as the backup to Caleb Williams.

The 2021 Harlon Hill Trophy winner (the Heisman Trophy equivalent for Division II) has had an impressive training camp and preseason, which warranted an extension beyond the 2025 season.

Tyson Bagent scored a 80.3 PFF grade last night vs. Buffalo

-13/22
-196 passing yards
-8.9 AVG
-1 TD
-9 rushing yards
-103.6 RTG

Great knowing the Bears have a solid QB2🔥 pic.twitter.com/VIaK8bBV4N
— Just Another Year Chicago: Bears (@JAYChi_Bears) August 19, 2025

In the two preseason games this year, Bagent completed 13 of 19 passes for 103 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception against the Dolphins and 13 of 22 for 196 yards and a touchdown against the Bills.

The next preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs could be the last time Bagent sees major action for a long time, with the regular season coming up. It is the Caleb Williams show to run in Chicago for the time being, but should the Bears need him, Bagent has proved he is ready to go.

Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!