Chicago Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent had to take the road less traveled.
The Bears just committed $5 million annually to their backup QB over the next two seasons — and he broke down in tears when talking about that new contract with the media in Chicago.
“A lot of people don’t know this, but my dad is my right-hand man and he didn’t have running water until he was in high school,” Bagent told reporters after signing his deal. “There’s definitely a lot of things and people that I can certainly help with this gift I’ve been blessed with.”
Bagent played five seasons with the Shepherd Rams, breaking nearly every passing record for the Division II program. By the time his fifth year came around, he visited Division I programs such as West Virginia and Maryland, but ultimately stayed in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, for his final college season.
He went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft after participating in the combine, ultimately signing with the Bears as a free agent.
At the end of his rookie preseason, Bagent made the roster. It was a confusing quarterback room, with Justin Fields in a prove-it year and Nathan Peterman holding the backup job for a short time.
The former D-II quarterback made his NFL debut as a rookie when Fields went down with an injury. He proved serviceable enough to stick around the organization and beat out Brett Rypien to back up Caleb Williams in Chicago last season.
In limited on-field action, Bagent showed Chicago’s brass that he was worth keeping in the QB room with Williams, who is entering his second NFL season and first under new head coach Ben Johnson. That is another impressive feat for Bagent, who has had to prove himself each of the past three offseasons — most recently to an entirely different coaching staff that did not bring him in originally.
Williams has been one of the most-hyped quarterback prospects in recent years, and Chicago decided Bagent was a capable, stable backup as the franchise builds around its No. 1 overall draft choice.
Bagent’s grandfather emigrated to the United States from Gwynedd, a region in northwest Wales.
Of course, this is not a record-breaking deal. In fact, it is pretty average backup quarterback money. But you could see that Bagent was overcome with emotion — and it was touching that his mind immediately went to his roots and all the people back home he will be able to support and uplift with his new contract.
