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What QB's Halas Hall Visit Could Mean for Tyson Bagent's Fate

Talk throughout the offseason about a possible Tyson Bagent trade could heat up after the report the Bears will have a visit from a QB prospect, but is such trade talk even valid?
Gene Chamberlain|
Tyson Bagent warms up prior to last year's Bears win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Tyson Bagent warms up prior to last year's Bears win over the Las Vegas Raiders. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

When the Bears traveled to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine, coach Ben Johnson cracked up the media with his coughing sound effect after the mention backup quarterback Tyson Bagent could be traded.

"No," he yelled, while coughing.

Needless to say, Johnson didn't want to lose his insurance policy behind Caleb Williams after Bagent was signed to a two-year extension at a $4.75 million cap hit each of the next two seasons. However, GM Ryan Poles admitted they had received calls about trades for Bagent. One of those reported was from Arizona. Another report had the Jets interested.

However, this all seemed to correct itself when the Cardinals signed Gardner Minshew in free agency. They have Jacoby Brissett, Minshew and are expected to draft a quarterback after Kyler Murray went to the Vikings in free agency. Bringing in Bagent would make no sense now. And the Jets signed Geno Smith. He is backed up by Brady Cook, so adding Bagent wouldn't be out of the question.

This seemed even more of a possibility after it was reported by New York Jets On SI's Arye Pulli that Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis would be making a predraft visit to Halas Hall.

It's not quite a visit as serious as a top 30. Kaliakmanis is from just up the road from Halas Hall in Antioch, Ill., and this is classified as a local visit. Those are more like courtesy calls for players from the area moreso than actual 30 visit. In the past, they have brought in some of those local players for rookie camp and even signed a few to contracts for training camp.

Trading Bagent, of course, would depend on exactly what it is the Bears are getting in return. Some rumors when the Cardinals were still interested indicated a Day 2 pick but this seems unlikely for a quarterback from Division II who went undrafted and has started only four times in three years, the last time being his rookie year.

Kaliakmanis threw for 3,124 yards with 20 touchdown passes for Rutgers last year and completed 62.2% of his passes last year.

He played two years at Rutgers and two for Minnesota. Overall, he completed 56.3% wit 8,604 yards and 55 touchdowns with 27 interceptions. He averaged 8.5 yards per attempt last year and 7.4 for his career.

Putting veteran Case Keenum together with a rookie like Kaliakmanis as backups behind Williams would make sense if they did plan to deal away Bagent. His departure in a trade would result in only $3.75 million in cap savings this year with $1 million lost in dead cap.

Because the Bears have done nothing yet to improve their salary cap status in terms of restructuring veteran deals, and still have the least available cap space at $243,000. A move like this saving them cap space would make sense, but with only $2.75 million in space realized isn't really beneficial.

The trade of Bagent wouldn't seem to benefit the Bears as much as the assurances they would get by knowing they have a backup behind Williams who knows Johnson's offense well.  It would look like Johnson doesn't need to cough and say "no," in a strange voice again.

None of this means the Bears wouldn't want to sign Kaliakmanis. They usually have four quarterbacks in camp and had Austin Reed on hand the last two years before cutting him last year. Reed continues to light it up in the UFL, throwing four touchdown passes for Dallas in a win last week after he also stood out in the opener.

Expect the Bears to stand pat on the top three QBs, unless someone really does float them a Day 2 pick for their backup from D2 ball. Then all bets would be off. They could do a great deal more in the draft with another Day 2 pick.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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