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Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff Writer
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — One day after sending a 2024 second-round pick to Washington in exchange for edge rusher Montez Sweat, Bears general manager Ryan Poles said the team is in the process of working out a contract extension for the 27-year-old defensive lineman, who is playing on the final year of his rookie deal.
“I feel really confident that we can get a deal done,” Poles said.
Since being drafted in the first round in 2019, Sweat is one of six players to notch at least five sacks in each of the last five seasons. This season, he has 6.5 sacks, 11 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for loss. Of the Bears’ league-low 10 sacks, only five have come from their defensive ends, along with 13 quarterback hits and 11 tackles for loss combined.
“I think it’s capitalizing right now because you start to lose opportunities,” Poles said about trading for Sweat. “If you look at the free agent stack now, it’s going to look very different by the time you get to that point of the year because there are so many different opportunities that can pop up in terms of extensions, tags, different things like that. So, we decided with that type of player we wanted to capitalize on that now.”
Shortly after passing his physical on Wednesday, Sweat said he was letting his agents handle contract negotiations and that he would need to account for multiple factors before agreeing to sign an extension with the Bears.
“I think all that goes into play from financial to the people around me to the players in the building, all that type of stuff like that,” Sweat said. “I just got here. I’m still trying to figure out where I’m going to lay my head at tonight.”
The move for Sweat comes one year after Chicago sent the No. 32 overall pick to Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for wide receiver Chase Claypool, who was traded to Miami Dolphins last month along with a seventh rounder after appearing in just 10 games with the Bears.
Poles said he wasn’t deterred from making another aggressive move at the deadline because of the talent he believes Sweat possesses to be a “multiplier” for their defense.
“I try to take a lot of pride in it. You look at things that you do, if they fail or you make mistakes, you look back at why and address those,” Poles. “I think the key is that sometimes you become a little bit shy to make aggressive moves as you go forward. That’s not how we’re wired.
“I took a lot of those things from that situation [with Claypool] and kind of went through that process and said, ‘OK, here’s where we may have messed up this.’ Then for this one, it’s not making the same mistake.”
Poles also remained open to the idea of working out an extension for 24-year-old cornerback Jaylon Johnson. The general manager said he was anticipating getting an extension done after meeting with Johnson’s representatives in Los Angeles on Sunday.
According to Poles, after the Bears returned from their loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Johnson’s representatives reached out requesting to explore a trade, which the team granted.
“Here’s the thing. I don’t want to lose Jaylon Johnson,” Poles said. “If I were to lose Jaylon Johnson, I would like to have a high percentage of hitting on another Jaylon Johnson, which to me, is a late first and into early second [round draft pick]. Really simple there. That didn’t happen. We are still open to getting a contract done. I know we’re going to follow Jaylon’s lead on how he wants to go about doing that but we’re still open.”
Johnson did not think he would be showing up to Halas Hall for work on Wednesday after the trade request was granted. The cornerback said he was disappointed when nothing had materialized before the 4 p.m. trade deadline on Tuesday.
“Nothing I want has happened so far as contract, trade, anything like that,” Johnson said. “Maybe the timing wasn’t there. Again, I’ve always said I’m gonna let God take the wheel on it and I don’t want to try to force anything. Since it didn’t happen, I feel like there’s a reason why some things haven’t happened yet. I’m just gonna continue to play ball, continue to grow, and see what happens after that.”
Poles was surprised that negotiations had taken a turn after the two parties were “working to close the gap” because he felt neither side had reached an impasse. While the Bears had previously extended offers, a best and final had not been put on the table.
Last week, Johnson said he was looking for “respect and security” in the form of a new contract and did not believe both sides were on the same page.
“There’s a difference between talking and trying to work things out versus trying to get things done,” Johnson said. “Up until this weekend, nothing was done. I figured I wanted some different opportunities to see what else was out there for me. Really, other than that, that’s about it.”
Johnson maintains he’s not asking for a contract that will “change the market or break records,” but he believes the way he’s played this season has increased his value and potential earnings.
“I feel like, for one, I’ve played my best year that I’ve played at the Bears,” Johnson said. “I feel like my impact is greater that it has been. … I feel like I’m the best corner in the game right now. Just going off that and continuing to play at a high level, that’s not gonna change. I feel like for me, that only increases my value. And it so happens that you strike iron while it’s hot. That’s what it’s about.”
In six games this season, Johnson has two interceptions with one returned for a touchdown, a forced fumble, seven run stops and a passer rating of 37.3 allowed.
Given the way negotiations with the Bears have unfolded, Johnson smiled when asked if he is eager to test free agency when his rookie contract expires in March.
“One hundred percent,” he said.