Even with the Commanders spiraling again and the promise of a new start and life-changing money with the Bears, defensive end Montez Sweat was furious about being traded last season.
Not only was the team that drafted him sending him away, but the upheaval of uprooting on short notice to a destination he didn’t choose frustrated him. While there had been ample speculation about him being dealt, he didn’t believe it, and the trade at the deadline caught him off-guard.
It was a whirlwind week last October, with Sweat being traded on a Tuesday, arriving for practice Wednesday, signing a four-year, $98 million contract extension Saturday and making his Bears debut Sunday. It was rushed and abrupt, and it understandably took awhile for him to settle into his new reality.
Eventually, however, he saw he had upgraded in terms of teams. While the Bears were on their way to a disappointing 7-10 finish, their trajectory was promising. They also had a good plan for Sweat, who was good with the Commanders but still hadn’t reached his potential.
Between his buy-in and the Bears’ efforts to maximize his ability, Sweat is primed for a huge season when the team opens Sept. 8 against the Titans. Both sides see him exceeding the career-high 12½ sacks he put up last season.
‘‘I definitely made a transition to a better spot for me,’’ Sweat told the Sun-Times. ‘‘[Shoot], this was my first Pro Bowl and first double-digit sack year and all those types of things. I reached some accolades that I always had aspirations of getting but never reached in Washington. You could definitely say it worked out better for me.’’
It’s crucial for the Bears and their playoff ambition that their highest-paid player dominates. They need a big return on that investment, and their pass rush has a lot of question marks after Sweat.
Their next-most accomplished option is Darrell Taylor, who arrived Saturday from the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick. General manager Ryan Poles first tried to swing a deal for four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Matt Judon, but the Patriots traded him to the Falcons instead.
Taylor was buried on the depth chart with the Seahawks but was an immediate starting candidate for the Bears. He had 21½ sacks in three seasons, including 9½ in 2022, and their only other defensive end — besides Sweat — with more is DeMarcus Walker with 23 in seven seasons.
Theoretically, whomever the Bears play as their other defensive end will get ideal opportunities because of the attention Sweat draws.
‘‘He’s made his mark and continues to make his mark, so I’m excited to get to rush opposite him,’’ Taylor said. ‘‘Race to the quarterback. That’s what it’s all about.’’
Sweat, who will turn 28 next week, is aiming to make the leap from Pro Bowl to All-Pro and establish himself as one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers. If he gets there, his $24.5 million average annual pay — currently sixth in the league at his position — will look like a bargain by next season.
Poles and coach Matt Eberflus envisioned that growth when they traded a second-round pick for him.
Teams often don’t fully know what they’re getting in a trade, as the Bears learned the hard way with receiver Chase Claypool, but they hoped Sweat would be motivated to improve. They saw room for him to develop, and the combination of their training program and their defensive scheme has made him better.
‘‘With this defense, you can move around a lot, and there’s certain plays imposed for me to create a mismatch,’’ Sweat said. ‘‘It definitely opened up my game a little bit.’’
When asked whether his conditioning, which was a concern at times last season, has improved, Sweat said: “For sure. . . . ’Flus is gonna work.’’
Sweat also is embracing a more significant role in the locker room. He was relatively quiet with the Commanders, focusing mostly on trying to launch his own career rather than step forward as a leader. Now, however, he’s more capable of doing so as a sixth-year veteran.
Plus, there are responsibilities that come with his enormous paycheck. Sweat seemed to defer to other players, such as linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, when he first arrived at Halas Hall. But for the first time in his career, he will be looked to as a voice of the defense — in the facility and publicly.
‘‘I’ve grown into a leader,’’ Sweat said. ‘‘I used to always like to lead by example, but lately I’ve felt myself talking more, encouraging guys more and just being that vessel for those guys to get some confidence.’’
Sweat’s stature also means he must take ownership for where the Bears are headed, not just his own performance.
No one needs to say that to him, however, after what he endured with the Commanders. In his 4½ seasons with them, they went 28-45-1 and finished last in the NFC East three times.
‘‘It was a toxic, heavy toll, just losing and people around you being kind of OK with losing,’’ said Sweat, who will make his return to Washington when the Bears visit the Commanders in Week 8. ‘‘It could sometimes rub off on you. You’ve gotta stay hungry and know that you want to win.’’
That shouldn’t be the case with the Bears, and Sweat said there has been ‘‘a great atmosphere’’ in the building. Nonetheless, the Bears missed the playoffs last season, too, and hype is hollow.
‘‘We’ve still got something to prove,’’ Sweat said. ‘‘We’ve still gotta win.’’
He has huge goals for himself and for the team at large, but he makes no assumptions. There’s a lot left to be earned, and that’s exactly the mentality the Bears hoped Sweat would have.
