The Chicago Bears decided to make a bold move, sending away defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round pick.
Now, just three weeks into the NFL season, Dexter is cashing in on a major extension.
“Falcons DT Gervon Dexter is signing a four-year, $78 million extension that includes $46.5 million guaranteed, per his agents Drew and Jason Rosenhaus,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted on X. “Atlanta traded for Dexter on August 30, and now is signing him to an extension one month later.”
Former Bears DT Gervon Dexter Receives A Huge $78M Payday
Despite Gervon Dexter never having the type of breakout season the Bears were hoping for, he still had a ton of potential when Chicago decided to ship him off to Atlanta, and he’s showcasing that talent.
Schefter added that in three games with the Falcons, Dexter ranks 8th in the NFL with a 20.5% QB pressure rate among players with at least 50 pass-rush snaps.
That’s one of the reasons why the Falcons were quick to hand him a major extension. Another could be tied to the fact that Atlanta’s general manager, Ian Cunningham, was the Bears’ assistant GM the past few seasons.
Fans were quick to share their thoughts on the extension as well:
“Happy to see falcons love him. He never lived up to his draft pick here because he wasn’t consistent enough. Probably in the wrong system while he was here. Glad bears moved on for a draft pick but he was a good guy who was good in the lockeroom,so happy he is doing good there.” @YoYo_Jo_
“Good for dex man. Chicago will always be grateful.” @Bears_Dubz
“Glad he got paid but we were never paying him this. He was a massive issue on our team. He’s obviously a much better scheme fit with the Falcons and I wish him well.” @LovelandsBurner
More on Dexter, Bears Defensive Line
General manager Ryan Poles commented on trading away Gervon Dexter, saying, “The deal was more about timing than anything. Timing and fit. We had some young guys really pushing that came in this year with Jordan [van den Berg] and [Jayden] Loving, that did a really good job, and we felt like it was good if we moved forward.”
Well, van den Berg only has one tackle through three games, and Loving has yet to make his mark on defense.
The good news is, despite this, the Bears’ pass rush has accounted for 52 pressures and seven sacks through three games.
The bad news is that’s not enough to win a Super Bowl.
Not to say that Dexter would’ve helped boost the Bears’ pass rush statistics by a lot, but it feels like the Bears still need another dominant pass rusher.
Perhaps Ryan Poles looks to make a trade during this year’s NFL trade deadline. If not, hopefully someone can step up and exceed expectations.
Former Bears DT Receives Huge $78M Payday After Recent Trade