Should the Bears consider trading Tyson Bagent to the New Orleans Saints?

Tyson Bagent has trade value for the Chicago Bears

Bagent is entering his third year in the NFL, and so far, his stats don't exactly scream 'NFL starter'. In four starts in 2023, Bagent completed 66% of his passes for 859 yards, a 71.4 passer rating, and just three touchdowns to 6 interceptions. However, he did go 2-2, and there's important context surrounding his lackluster stats.

First, all four starts came in Bagent's rookie season while he was filling in for an injured Justin Fields. As you may remember, Bagent was an undrafted rookie free agent from Division II school Shepherd University. He went from throwing against the Colorado School of Mines to the likes of the Los Angeles Chargers in less than a year.

Also, Bagent was stuck in a putrid Chicago Bears offense, one run by former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who is now merely a "Senior Assistant" for the Green Bay Packers. Not only was Bagent navigating an incredible leap in talent, but he was also forced to do so without any competent leadership.

Those are all reasons for the Saints to be interested in Bagent, but should the Bears actually consider trading him away?

To put it bluntly, absolutely not. For one thing, as much potential still exists in Tyson Bagent, the stats are what they are. He did not look good in his four starts, and that gives the Saints the leverage they need to lowball Chicago. The offer would likely be a future late Day-3 pick, at best.

That's simply not enough for the Bears to jettison a quality backup who's been with the team for two years already. He may not be an NFL starter, but he went 2-2 as a backup, and that's all you can ask of your QB2. Just help the team tread water until the starter can return.

And Bagent appears well-liked in the locker room. The last thing this Bears team needs at this point in the offseason is to send a high-character teammate packing for what is essentially a blindfolded dart throw in the 2026 NFL draft. This team, as it currently stands, should be good enough to push for the division title, and it would be unwise to mess with that.