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A week that could actually be rivaled has been provided by Tyson Bagent, with the NFL announcing a huge two-year $10 million contract extension on Bagent on Wednesday. Two days later, the UFOs descended, and with those preseason heroics, this guy threw in three scoring passes, including that dramatic go-ahead touchdown. In the League’s tweet, Bagent was pictured throwing the ball with an intensity and focus befitting a man at the highest point of his career.
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The account was the first to announce it and quickly stirred up a storm, and from there, the discussion turned into two very spaced-out camps, one relating to relishing the success story of an undrafted Division II talent against all odds and the other almost placing Bagent’s new contract and play into the opposite bucket from which Caleb Williams was acquired.
Most reactions have proceeded with acclaim on how Bagent came up. One user wrote: “All while helping provide more hope to all D2 players that they too can make it to the league! Congrats Tyson!!” Another said: “What an awesome week for Tyson! Looked like I just time traveled back into the 80s and saw Joe Montana tonight.” Yet Another wrote, “Nothing like getting a huge raise then showing up to work and showing the boss that he got a bargain.”
However, the tone of many replies was visceral, and the veil of praise almost disappeared to the preemptive and fervent comparison to Caleb Williams, the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Bagent’s preseason outings barely acted as a temperature drop for speculations of quarterback controversy in Chimichanga, as comments flooded in with sentiments such as, “Better than Caleb.” Then followed even more concrete estimations: “He’ll replace Caleb as [calend] started by mid-season. You heard it here first!” Another stated: “Caleb about to lose his job so quick,” and one flatly asked, “10 mil when you just drafted your qb 1 last year..”
Deep within the argument, some users then began evaluating scheme and performance. One retort analyzed Williams’ recent preseason struggles by laying out a very specific defensive gameplan as the reason; further, it stated, “more on [Offensive Coordinator] Ben [Johnson] than Caleb.” This back-and-forth about Williams’ ability to throw against certain coverages turned a simple contract announcement into a full-blown X’s and O’s session for a portion of the fanbase.
But not all wanted to keep it competitive. One replied quite solemnly, “For two mins work a week. What a joke of a sport.” Sneakily, another shot off a dot of reality: “Let me know when he does this in the wild card round.”
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Today, Williams is the one upon whom all the pressure is piled. Tyson Bagent is more than just a feel-good storyline; Bagent is a paid insurance policy and has proven that he can deliver in clutch moments. Every incomplete throw and loss by Williams will soon be greeted with at least a few fans clamoring for the backup. In signing Bagent, the Bears have left no doubt that winning football with a competent quarterback will be of priority, but nothing by doing so has complicated this season’s narrative to a thrilling degree. Essentially, that means that there are two quarterbacks with a point to prove: one, the big-name rookie everybody expects to cut the franchise, and two, the proven backup whose new-contract basis and the clutch game have made him one of Chicago’s household names. How that story unfolds on the field will be deemed one of this season’s most intriguing stories to series.
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