What Tyson Bagent's contract extension means for his position battle with Case Keenum

Bagent had been the subject of recent trade speculation in NFL circles. The Bears have Caleb Williams, after all. He's not being supplanted from his role as QB1 any time soon. Additionally, the Bears signed journeyman veteran and the quarterback behind the 'Minnesota Miracle' of 2017, Case Keenum. It looked to many analysts like there was simply no room for Bagent in Chicago. Trading the young but promising quarterback to a QB-needy team seemed logical.

General Manager Ryan Poles has officially slammed the door shut on that speculation. This contract proves that the front office and the coaching staff love Bagent and what he brings to the team. The underdog from Shepherd University is here to stay.

But what does this mean for Keenum? This is far from a death knell for Keenum's shot at making the roster or winning the backup quarterback job. Indeed, Keenum has looked great in training camp and in preseason action, especially against the Miami Dolphis in their preseason Week 1 game. But a two-year deal that doesn't even begin until next season will always trump a one-year contract.

In my opinion, this means that the Bears will likely carry three quarterbacks on the roster. Bagent will serve as the backup with Keenum as the QB3 and mentor to the young gunslingers. Neither Williams nor Bagent had this kind of veteran presence last season and that proved a mistake. Hopefully he can aide them on their NFL journeys to reach their best versions of themselves.