The Chicago Bears got a rare season from Montez Sweat, both for them and him, in 2025.
Now, the two sides could need a repeat performance, if not more, to secure a future together, if that is in fact what they want.
The Bears have left a lot on Sweat up front once again, and they have already committed heavily to him during his short tenure. And yet, the stage has already been set for the 2026 season to determine his future in Chicago.
Bears’ Montez Sweat Cracks 2026 Top 100 List
Montez Sweat Off to Encouraging Start for Bears
Sweat is logged 10.0 sacks for the Bears in 2025, proving to be the only consistent threat on the roster. For his troubles, Sweat checks in at No. 91 on NFL.com’s Top 100 Players list for the 2026 season.
This is his second appearance among the top-100 players. It is lower than his debut ahead of the 2024 campaign, when he ranked 82nd.
Still, it stands out amid the uncertainty about his future in Chicago.
“Chicago’s sack leader for the third time in as many years that he’s been with the Bears, Sweat, 29, returned to the double-digit sack department for the second time in his career,” NFL.com’s Grant Gordon wrote on June 26.
“Sweat’s return [to the Top 100 Players list] coincided with a smashing season for the Bears, who won the NFC North title and earned a Wild Card Round win over the rival Packers. Sweat was a force in that game, posting three tackles and three QB hits before adding a sack in the team’s heartbreaking Divisional Round overtime loss.”
Gordon continued with a “NFL Pro Insight,” noting “Sweat recorded four turnovers caused by pressures in the regular season, tied for the third among all NFL defensive players.”
Sweat’s production for the Bears is noteworthy.
He had the first double-digit sack season for the organization since Robert Quinn in 2021. It was the Bears’ third such campaign in the past decade. The Bears have not had a player record double-digit sacks in multiple seasons since Julius Peppers in 2011 and 2012.
To that end, Sweat has only produced a double-digit sack season one other time in his career. That was in 2023, when the Bears acquired him in a trade from the Washington Commanders.
He had 9.0 sacks in 2020, and 8.0 sacks or less in every other season, ranking 13th since 2019.
Bears Have Decision to Make on Montez Sweat
Sweat, who turns 30 in September, is under contract with the Bears through the 2027 season. He signed a four-year, $98 million contract extension following his trade.
However, the Bears can cut ties during the 2027 offseason.
They would save themselves $21 million compared to $4.1 million in dead money. The Bears will at least be exploring a contract extension with Caleb Williams next offseason. That will significantly impact how general manager Ryan Poles and Co. build out the roster.
Sweat is one of several veteran players that could face such scrutiny at the end of the 2026 season, if not sooner. Many of them are on the defensive side of the ball.
The Bears, notably, will still be facing a relatively tight cap situation in 2027.
Adding a potentially historic contract extension for Williams would only exacerbate that issue, not only for 2027, but for several years after that. At the same time, Sweat is clearly still a productive player. Morever, the Bears do not have a proper replacement, even with Austin Booker showing well last season.
