It reportedly 'won’t be cheap' for Ravens to acquire Tyson Bagent from Bears after Lamar Jackson injury

The Baltimore Ravens saw any hopes they had of competing for a Super Bowl title this season possibly disappear after starting quarterback Lamar Jackson suffered an injury to the thumb on his throwing hand that left him needing surgery during the club's 36-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills that dropped the Ravens to 4-4 on Sunday. 

Later on Sunday, Ravens backup signal-caller Tyler Huntley went down with a toe injury that could keep him out of action for some time. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Ravens may not stick with emergency option Joe Fagnano as their temporary QB1 through the NFL trade deadline, which arrives on Nov. 10.

Why the Ravens could look to Chicago for some QB help

On Sunday night, Florio reported that Chicago Bears backup Tyson Bagent is a "name to watch" regarding Baltimore's current quarterback situation. 

"Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle had that same position last year in Chicago," Florio explained. "And the Bears have three quarterbacks. Bagent has a $4M salary in 2026, and a $4.25M compensation package in 2027. The Bears also have Case Keenum under contract, behind Caleb Williams."

Of course, neither Bagent nor anybody else who could be available to the Ravens this fall is a like-for-like replacement for Jackson, a two-time regular-season Most Valuable Player Award winner. That said, Bagent does have some experience serving as a temporary starter, and he likely would be an upgrade over Fagnano in the event that the Ravens discover they'll be without Huntley for multiple games. 

The Bears seemingly won't do the Ravens any favors amid injury crisis

"The Ravens, we’re told, may explore the possibility of acquiring Bagent. We’re also told that it won’t be cheap to get him," Florio continued. "That’s how it goes when a team develops an in-season need for a quarterback. The price goes up, as reflected by the urgency of the effort to find a replacement. ...The Ravens have no quarterbacks on the practice squad. Diego Pavia was on the 90-man roster in the offseason; he was cut just before the opening of training camp. Austin Reed was later signed to the roster during camp, after Skylar Thompson was placed on injured reserve."

Bagent is on track to stay with the 5-2 Bears through their matchup at the 4-3 Seattle Seahawks on Monday night. As of Monday morning, it was unclear if he could be a Baltimore player by the time the Ravens host the 5-2 Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday evening.