The Chicago Bears won’t have veteran edge rusher Montez Sweat available for the next two games as he serves his NFL suspension, but they will reap an unintended financial benefit from temporarily losing their $98 million starter.
The NFL officially announced Tuesday that it had suspended Sweat for two games without pay for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy, dealing a blow to the Bears’ pass rush before Week 6’s game against Atlanta.
The loss of Sweat is only magnified by the fact that his contract is the largest on the Bears’ current roster. He has two years left on the deal he signed in 2023 after his trade to Chicago and costs $25.08 million against the cap in 2026.
According to Spotrac, though, there is a silver lining to Sweat’s untimely suspension.
“#Bears DE Montez Sweat will forfeit $2.3 million of 2026 salary per his two-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy,” Spotrac wrote on X on October 13. “Additionally, the $12.7 million remaining on Sweat’s 2026 salary is now unsecured, as the PED suspension voided all future guarantees. Sweat is due a non-guaranteed $21 million 2027.”
Montez Sweat Suspension Eases Potential Split for Bears
The Bears are unlikely to do anything rash in the wake of Sweat’s two-game suspension, but the voiding of his future guarantees does increase the likelihood that the team will part ways with him during the 2027 NFL offseason.
Sweat was already a candidate to become a cap casualty in 2027 with his whopping $25 million-plus cap hit. He will turn 31 before next season and hasn’t quite lived up to his contract despite leading the team in sacks (10) in 2025.
Moreover, expectations are that the Bears will use the 2027 offseason as an opportunity to shed several of their most expensive defensive line contracts, which could also include Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett along with Sweat.
Now, Sweat has made the decision much easier for the Bears. With his guarantees nixed, the Bears can save $21 million of his $25.085 million cap hit by cutting him in 2027 — and they won’t even need to designate him as a post-June 1 cut.
Sweat could still make things more challenging for them if he returns from his suspension and hits his stride in the second half of the 2026 regular season. He had two sacks and 13 pressures in five games before his NFL punishment.
Even with double-digit sacks again in 2026, though, the money that the Bears stand to save could guide their hand as they retool their roster for the 2027 season.
Bears News: DE Shemar Turner Returns From Injury List
While Sweat’s suspension became Tuesday’s most significant Bears news, they also made a positive move within their defensive end room ahead of Week 6’s matchup.
The Bears activated defensive end Shemar Turner — their 2025 second-round pick — from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list on Tuesday, October 13, making the move as he neared the end of his 21-day practice window.
Turner is coming back from a season-ending ACL tear that limited him to just 74 defensive snaps over five games as a rookie, but the Bears had felt encouraged by his move from defensive tackle to defensive end before his injury last year.
While Turner has much to prove, his return should help fortify Chicago’s pass rush while Sweat is sidelined. The Bears may also be without Odeyingbo against the Falcons in Week 6 after he exited last week’s loss with a quad injury.
The Bears will kick off against the Falcons at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 18.
Bears Catch Huge Break After NFL Suspends Montez Sweat