LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Montez Sweat insisted he didn’t necessarily have the Chicago Bears’ game against the Washington Commanders marked on his calendar.
The havoc-wreaking edge rusher did acknowledge one thing, though. He was at least a bit offended by the trade last October.
“I think like any other player would be, they would be a little offended, but it’s a business and I understand what comes with that,” Sweat said on Thursday. “I was offended, but I didn’t take it personal.”
Sweat goes against his former team for the first time since last year’s trade when Chicago visits Washington on Sunday.
The Commanders opted to sell at the deadline. They dealt two former first-round picks who were supposed to be cornerstone pieces, sending Sweat to Chicago for a 2024 second-round pick and fellow pass rusher Chase Young to San Francisco for a compensatory third-rounder this year.
The Bears, who were 2-6 and had by far a league-low 10 sacks at the time, locked in Sweat a few days later to a four-year, $105 million contract extension through 2027. The new deal guaranteed $72,865,360 and included $98 million in new money.
Sweat provided a huge lift, helping the Bears finish 7-9, and made a bit of NFL history in the process. He set a career high with 12 1/2 sacks and became the first player to lead two teams in sacks in the same season — with 6 1/2 in eight games for Washington and six in nine games for Chicago. He also got selected for his first Pro Bowl.
“I got my first Pro Bowl, I got paid,” Sweat said. “I’m happy just being somewhere that I’m wanted, being in a place where they want me to be here, where I’ve got a spot.”
He said it had a positive impact on his performance.
“It just creates a good environment when you’re around guys that you want to play for, you’re around coaches that you want to play for,” he said. “You go harder. I think that’s a big part of the game.”
Though he’s well off last year’s pace with 2 1/2 sacks through six games, Sweat draws plenty of attention from opposing teams and is a big reason why Chicago’s defense ranks fifth overall. The Bears are among the best in the league in forcing turnovers and are tied for third with 13 takeaways.
With Caleb Williams and the offense starting to click, Chicago (4-2) rolled into its bye last week with three straight wins after beating the Los Angeles Rams, Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bears have their best record through six games since the 2020 team was 5-1 on the way to an 8-8 finish.
Sweat, meanwhile, is in unfamiliar territory. Washington never won more than eight games during his 4 1/2 seasons and was never better than 3-3 through six games.
“It’s exciting,” he said. “We have everything in front of us. We control our own destiny. It’s great being on the winning side of things, for sure.”
The Bears figure to face a stronger test against Washington (5-2), whether rookie Jayden Daniels plays through his rib injury or Marcus Mariota starts at quarterback for the NFC East leaders. The Commanders rank among the best in the NFL on offense and are tied with Baltimore for the league lead in scoring at 31.1 points per game.
The Bears’ wins, including the opener against Tennessee, were against opponents that are hardly among the elite. The teams they’ve beaten are a combined 6-20. The losses were to Indianapolis (4-3) and Houston (5-2).
“Obviously they’ve got to get the quarterback situation right,” Sweat said. “It may not be the same offense that’s been on the field the whole year. But I mean, yeah, when a good defense goes against a great offense it’s a great test, and we’re looking forward to it.”
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