The Chicago Bears had indicated they were open to trading backup quarterback Tyson Bagent earlier in the 2026 NFL offseason after receiving calls about his availability. Could a deal for a former top-5 draft pick spur things into motion?
Bagent has been one of the recent UDFA success stories in Chicago, working his way up from the No. 4 quarterback in the pecking order as a rookie out of Division-II Shepherd in 2023 to the primary backup role for the Bears over his first three seasons in the NFL.
With former No. 1 pick Caleb Williams looking like the franchise’s long-sought answer at quarterback, though, the Bears received some trade interest in Bagent over the past few months of the offseason, which general manager Ryan Poles confirmed in March.
Months later, Bagent is still on the Bears’ roster and remains penciled in as the No. 2 quarterback behind Williams at the onset of OTAs, but ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes there could be a potential connection between him and the Indianapolis Colts in 2026.
Graziano projected a one-for-one quarterback trade between the Bears and Colts, with Chicago receiving Anthony Richardson — 2023’s No. 4 pick — in exchange for Bagent.
“I don’t see anyone giving up a pick for Richardson at the moment,” Graziano wrote May 27. “The Bears dangled Bagent in trade offers earlier this offseason, and here he likely gives the Colts a better backup option than Leonard.
“Richardson gets to learn from Bears coach Ben Johnson and maybe show enough in the preseason that he becomes appealing to another team in trade. Heck, maybe Johnson has some ideas for how to use him in a package or two. The Bears still have Case Keenum behind Caleb Williams as a veteran backup.”
Anthony Richardson Makes Little Sense as Trade Target
NFL analysts routinely fill the quiet period of the offseason between the draft and the start of training camp with hypothetical and often ridiculous trade proposals. Even still, Graziano’s trade pitch involving Bagent and Richardson is particularly hair-brained.
For starters, there is little about Richardson that suggests he would make a good fit for Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s offensive system. The 24-year-old is just a hair above a 50% career completion percentage (177 of 350) after playing 17 games for the Colts over his first three seasons and has seen his availability heavily hindered by various injuries.
While Richardson’s athleticism could potentially add a dimension to Johnson’s offense in select packages, his accuracy issues make him a tough bet as a backup quarterback.
There is also the cost element of a Bagent-for-Richardson trade. Bagent is due to cost $4.75 million against the cap for the Bears in 2026 after signing a two-year, $10 million contract extension last August, but Richardson will cost the Colts more than double that amount — roughly $10.8 million — in the final year of his $33.99 million rookie deal.
Even if the Colts agreed to eat a chunk of the contract cost, it would make little sense for the Bears to trade away a quarterback they know and trust for a more expensive project.
Bears Likely Want Higher Trade Return for Tyson Bagent
The other critical flaw with Graziano’s proposed trade is that he misunderstands how much the Bears value Bagent as the No. 2 quarterback in Johnson’s run-heavy offense.
Johnson didn’t mince words in February when asked about the trade rumors that had surrounded Bagent at the time, singing his backup quarterback’s praises and joking that he would like to say “no” to the teams that had called to inquire about a potential trade.
“I love Tyson, and that’s one that kind of pulls at your heartstrings a little bit because he is someone you care about so deeply, and he’s a helluva football player that, at some point, you want to see him have a chance to do it himself,” Johnson said February 24.
“We’ll always do what’s best for our team and our organization. I do think there is a lot of merit to having a strong No. 2 quarterback, which he certainly fits that bill. I’m of the mind that he is probably one of the best 32 [quarterbacks] in the NFL. His preseason tape over the last few years has probably confirmed that, in my opinion. But if I took myself out of the equation, I want what’s best for him. If he would like an opportunity to start, I certainly hope he can get that somewhere.”
In other words, the Bears are willing to trade Bagent to the right situation for the right offer, if one comes along before the 2026 season, but they won’t trade him for pennies.
The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs said in March that he believes the Bears’ trade price for Bagent would be set at a second-round pick, underscoring his value to the franchise. If that remains the case, the Colts would need to offer up more than just Richardson.
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