A few days ago, Montez Sweat and the Chicago Bears agreed on a new 4 year, $98 million contract extension. This came right after Sweat was traded to the Bears in exchange for a second-round pick. 

Sweat has been one of the most productive pass rushers in the NFL. This season he already has 6.5 sacks and is on pace to shatter his career high in sacks for a season. He finished last season with eight sacks and has been a key player on an elite Commanders defensive line for the last few years.

But, is he worth an extension that will pay him almost 25 million dollars annually?

As productive as he has been, Sweat has never recorded double digit sacks in his career up to this point. Although sacks do not tell the entire story, they do show how effective a pass rusher is and how well he finishes plays. Sweat has also had the advantage of playing on arguably the best defensive line in football. The Commanders’ D-line has featured star linemen Da’Ron Payne and Jonathan Allen. This allowed Sweat to get a lot of favorable 1-on-1 matchups and produce sacks. With Chicago not having nearly as strong a defensive line, Sweat will see a lot more double teams and tougher matchups. 

It will be interesting to see how Sweat does as the primary focus on the defensive line and if he can live up to the massive contract extension that he received from the Bears.