Windy City Gridiron
The Bears best pass rusher needs to return to his 2023 form.
We have unveiled six players so far on our list of ten Chicago Bears with the most to prove in 2025. We’ve seen Jaquan Brisker, Gervon Dexter from he defensive side of the ball, and Roschon Johnson, Cole Kmet, and the three-headed left tackle of Ozzy Trapilo, Braxton Jones, and Kiran Amedgadjie.
The number four spot is none other than Montez Sweat.
When Ryan Poles traded for Sweat during the 2023 season, Montez came over and changed the entire Bears’ defense. Sweat brought a desperately needed pass rush to a defense and, in doing so, he elevated the whole defense.
The Bears went from a good defense to a great defense in the back half of 2023.
The expectation was that Sweat’s performance in 2023 was going to be duplicated in 2024, but the Sweat that lined up last season was not the same dominant force from the previous season.
Sweat played in all but one game last season. If you eliminate the 2021 season which he only played in 10 games, Sweat had career lows in sacks, tackles, QB hits, and pressures. Tackles for loss were the second-lowest of his career behind only his rookie season.
In short, Sweat had the worst season of his career. If you’re Ryan Poles, that’s not the type of season you want to see out of an edge you just traded a second-round pick for and extended him at $25 million per season.
To be fair to Sweat, he dealt with ankle and shin injuries throughout the season that almost certainly affected his productivity. Sweat discussed his season with the media after the 2024 season, and he admitted this season wasn’t up to his standards either, and he was disappointed with his 2024 performance.
After just one season into his four-year extension, why would Sweat already have something to prove? If his 2025 season looks like his 2024 season, his future in Chicago is going to come into question.
There will be other aspects to come into play in terms of Sweat’s future. Does Dayo Odeyingbo develop like the Bears are hoping? Does Austin Booker take a big step forward? The Bears' lack of depth at the edge position will certainly help Sweat even if he doesn’t return to form, but the Bears will have a much tighter cap situation next season, and they’ll have to decide if Sweat’s price and production can be married.
If the Bears decide to trade Sweat after this season, the contract is easily manageable. Sweat would leave about $4 million in dead cap in 2026 and 2027, and Sweat’s new team would only owe him $21 million per season with very little guaranteed money left for 2027.
For this to happen, both Odeyingbo and Booker would need to take steps forward, and Sweat would have to have another season similar to last season (or worse). If Sweat improves, the Bears almost certainly wouldn’t consider moving...
