The Chicago Bears won’t have defensive end Montez Sweat for the next two games due to an NFL suspension, though his future with the team beyond this season is now perhaps a more relevant question.
Chicago is unlikely to cut ties with Sweat at any point in 2026 given the defense’s lack of depth on the edge, particularly after Dayo Odeyingbo’s quadriceps injury in Week 5.
And while what Sweat did by testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance banned by the league is ultimately harmful to the team, it’s not as though he has reached anything close to Antonio Brown levels of locker room agitation or culture disruption because of his actions.
All of that said, Sweat is on an expensive deal and a couple of Bears analysts took to X with their opinions on how the team might proceed with the defensive end once he returns from his suspension — or next offseason
Bears Can Save Big by Parting Ways With Montez Sweat Next Offseason
Jacob Infante of Pro Football Network predicted on Tuesday, October 13 that Sweat will finish 2026 in Chicago and end up on the free-agent market after that by way of his release.
Infante wrote that projection in response to an X post from Spotrac detailing Sweat’s financial situation and what the suspension is going to cost him.
“#Bears DE Montez Sweat will forfeit $2.3M of 2026 salary per his 2-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy,” Spotrac wrote. “Additionally, the $12.7M remaining on Sweat’s 2026 salary is now unsecured, as the PED suspension voided all future guarantees. Sweat is due a non-guaranteed $21M in 2027.”
“The last part is huge. #Bears don’t owe Montez Sweat any guaranteed money in 2027,” Infante responded in a re-post. “It would save $21 million to cut him next offseason. There’s plenty of time for him to turn it around, but based on his play so far this year, I think they’d let him go.”
Sweat has accounted for four QB hits, two sacks and two tackles for loss across five games this season. He has also added 13 pressures and nine hurries.
Bears Absent Real Options to Replace Montez Sweat in 2026
While it is fair to note that Sweat is perhaps not living up to the four-year, $98 million contract he signed in November 2023, and which runs through next season, he’s still giving Chicago’s defense a lot more than nothing.
So while a similar level of performance extrapolated out over a full 17-game season, minus the two contests Sweat will miss due to his suspension, is not likely to prove worth $21 million on the final year of the defensive end’s deal in 2027, it remains unlikely Chicago cuts ties with Sweat during the current campaign.
Harrison Graham of Chicago Bears Now pointed out on X Tuesday that the simplest reason the team won’t release Sweat is that it has no viable candidate with whom to replace him.
“To my knowledge, nothing actually changes about Sweat’s 2027 contract based on today as his guaranteed $$ was up after this year anyway,” Graham wrote. “The note @spotrac makes about the $12.7M remaining this year is interesting, but not like Bears would cut him this season anyway as they don’t have an adequate replacement. Sweat’s spot on this team next year will solely be based on how he plays the rest of the season once he gets back.”
Chicago can potentially consider cutting and/or trading Sweat sooner if the Bears are able to land a player like Khalil Mack at a reasonable trade cost over the next few weeks.
Bears Predicted to Make Drastic Montez Sweat Decision After NFL Punishment