4 Most Logical Landing Spots If the Chicago Bears Trade Tyson Bagent

Tyson Bagent is a valuable commodity. The Bears' offense would obviously take a gigantic hit if Caleb Williams were to go down, but he's shown enough to at least instill confidence that the offense wouldn't completely crumble with him under center.

The Bears seem to know it, too. They made him one of the league's highest-paid backups with a two-year, $10 million contract in August.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson gave Bagent a glowing review at the NFL Scouting Combine, saying that he thinks the 25-year-old is 'one of the best 32 starters' in the league.

Ben Johnson doesn’t want the Bears to trade QB Tyson Bagent but acknowledges that they have to do what’s best for the team

He believes Bagent is one of the best 32 QBs in the NFL pic.twitter.com/OwGJVVYr8M
— Lorin Cox (@CoxSports1) February 24, 2026

However, with Caleb Williams cementing himself as one of the league's rising stars at the quarterback position, he would just be collecting dust for as long as Williams stays healthy. Trading Bagent to a team where he would have an opportunity to start would be a win/win for the Bears and the former undrafted free agent (assuming they'd get value that would sufficiently compensate them for the hypothetical that Williams were to get hurt).

Personally, I think a third-round pick (or a fourth that could become a second based on playing time) would be enough for the Bears to pull the trigger. Ryan Poles mentioned that a few teams have reached out about Bagent's availability.

Ryan Poles says the Bears have received calls inquiring about the availability of QB Tyson Bagent pic.twitter.com/ZwG5MxHJN8
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) February 24, 2026

Honestly, I'm not surprised that Bagent has received some interest in the trade market. The 2026 NFL Draft features a QB class with one clear top dog, Fernando Mendoza, and a lot of question marks. Mendoza is widely favored to go first overall to the Raiders, and that leaves a handful of other teams scrambling to find their answer at the QB position.

Likewise, free agency also features one clear (potential) option in Malik Willis, but even taking a chance there is somewhat of a shot in the dark. He's started six career games and has thrown 155 career passes. He'll probably get a bag thrown his way (he's expected to land somewhere around $30 million per year) in free agency, and that's honestly wild to me.

Bagent is a low-risk, potentially high-reward option for teams looking to go bargain hunting at the quarterback position. Which teams make the most sense as potential landing spots for him?

Arizona Cardinals

Last week, longtime Arizona sports radio host John Gambadoro mentioned that the Cardinals were interested in Bagent. They've also been named a team to keep an eye on in the Malik Willis sweepstakes (which isn't surprising with Matt LaFleur's brother Mike being hired as their head coach), but as I mentioned before, he will break the bank.

The Cardinals will eat around $50 million in dead cap the moment they get Kyler Murray off the books (a pre-June 1st release would include a $54.7 million cap hit, and a post-June 1st release would eat $47.5 million). It's a foregone conclusion that he won't be back with the Cardinals at this point.

It would be difficult to shell out the type of money that Willis will command under those circumstances. Bagent, meanwhile, would provide them with significantly more flexibility (he also has only two fewer starts under his belt than Willis) as a low-cost option.

Miami Dolphins

Speaking of quarterbacks who have seemingly no future for their current organization, I'd be surprised if Tua Tagovailoa is the Dolphins' starting quarterback in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. That relationship deteriorated so much this season, and I don't see how the new regime under new (defensive-minded) head coach Jeff Hafley could mend those fences.

Notably, the Dolphins will eat $99 million in dead cap (although a post-June 1st designation allows them to spread that hit over the '26 and '27 seasons) if they were to release him. A trade would definitely be the preferred outcome, but I'd also be surprised if another team were willing to take on the remainder of his contract.

The Dolphins are between a rock and a hard place. Truly, no team should want to trade for Bagent more. He would give them a cheap option that could hold down the starting job while they recover from the massive mistake that was the Tagovailoa contract.

Atlanta Falcons

Bagent is still a relatively unknown commodity across the NFL. Teams are certainly starting to pay attention, based on the fact that the Bears have received a few calls, but that doesn't change the fact that his most impressive performances have come in the preseason.

One man who knows full well what Bagent brings to the table is new Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham. Cunningham was the Bears' assistant GM since 2022, so he helped the team bring him in as an undrafted free agent out of Shepherd the following year. What isn't known is how Cunningham feels about the Falcons' current starter, Michael Penix Jr. The 25-year-old has only 12 career starts under his belt and is 4-8 in those games.

Penix will also be coming off a season in which he suffered his third ACL tear (with the first two coming in the right leg and the most recent being in the left). Kirk Cousins is a goner and will cost $22.5 million in dead cap once he's released. That will leave them in position where they'll need a backup with upside (or potentially more, depending on Cunningham's perspective). Bagent certainly fits that billing.

New York Jets

How funny would that be? The team that thought they could turn around Justin Fields' career (they signed him to a two-year, $40 million contract last offseason) gives up on that experiment one year in to replace him with the guy the Bears signed as an undrafted free agent two years into Fields' career.

I'd feel bad for Fields in this scenario (I know he hasn't nearly lived up to expectations, and the Bears were wise to move on when they did, but I'll always have love for him), but it would be incredibly ironic. Like every other team on this list, the Jets are in a precarious situation at the QB position after shelling out a big contract to a replacement-level starter.

I'd also feel bad for Bagent if this is the outcome (the Jets are an absolute MESS), but they're in desperate need of a starting-caliber option. You could argue that Bagent has much more upside than Murray, Tagovailoa, or Cousins after they get axed, and he'll also cost less.