Tyson Bagent let out tears when he described what his new two-year, $10 million contract means to him and his family.

“Yeah, I think that – you know, a lot of people don’t know this but my dad is my right-hand man and he didn’t even have running water until he was in high school,” Bagent told reporters on-site at Halas Hall during a Wednesday press conference. “There’s definitely a lot of things and people that I think I can certainly help with this gift I’ve been blessed with. Just little things like that.

“I don’t really know anybody back at home with any money. So yeah, it feels good. It’s certainly a weight off my shoulders and my family’s shoulders. So yeah, it definitely means a lot.”

Bagent, a former Division II quarterback from Shepherd University, became the first Bears quarterback since Jay Cutler in 2014 to receive a contract extension. The talks about an extension started last week, according to Bagent, when general manager Ryan Poles brought the 25-year-old quarterback into his office to discuss the possibility.

As someone who went undrafted and signed a $25,000 signing bonus plus earned $1.5 million the last two seasons, the idea of signing a multi-million dollar contract would have been a no-brainer for most, but there was a reason why Bagent didn’t initially sign when Poles and he talked a week ago. Bagent is still striving to become a starter for an NFL team now that he is in Year 3.

“I think that’s pretty much the only reason why I didn’t just sign then and there a week or so ago,” Bagent said. “That definitely went into it. But kind of like I said, being around this staff and this offense, especially this staff, the offensive staff, I think that has just been the biggest part in the decision besides just how much I love the city of Chicago, how comfortable I am with everybody, but yeah, that was certainly played a role into it.”

Bagent acknowledged that he will never know if testing the waters with a new team and potentially being a starter would have been better for his development, but the Bears’ offensive staff and the standard they hold everybody to were the main reasons he stayed in Chicago.

Bagent’s contract is significant for many reasons. It means the Bears organization is prioritizing the quarterback position. The team hopes Caleb Williams will be the franchise quarterback the organization desperately needs, but Bagent also provides the Bears with a young pipeline of signal callers who will develop in head coach Ben Johnson‘s system.

Johnson gets the opportunity to mold two quarterbacks in Williams and Bagent, who each possess the ability to create plays when things break down in the pocket. The offense doesn’t need to drastically change regardless of who is under center.

Injuries can happen at any moment, and the fastest way to cripple a team is by losing a starting quarterback. Ask the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game in 2022 after starting quarterback Brock Purdy was injured, which led to the Philadelphia Eagles securing a 31-7 victory on the way to the Super Bowl. The Jets’ 2023 season was completely derailed once Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon.

Although it’s never a good sign to see the backup quarterback in the game, unless in a kneel-down situation at the end of a game, it’s reassuring to have someone who provides a chance to remain competitive. Johnson views Bagent in that way, as he believes he can be a starter in the league.

“I don’t think there’s any question about it,” Johnson told reporters on-site at Halas Hall during a Wednesday press conference. “I mean, I’ve really been blown away by his approach from the spring to start of camp to where we are now. He does a tremendous job knowing what to do, how to do it and getting it done. So I don’t think you can have enough talent in that room. I think we actually have one of the best rooms in the NFL, certainly that I’ve been around in my career from top to bottom. I mean, we’ve got three, four guys that can play in this league. And so I feel really strongly about where we’re at right there.”

Bagent’s new deal, along with taking the reps with the second-team offense in the Dolphins and Bills preseason games, essentially cements him as the Bears’ backup over veteran Case Keenum.

Even though Keenum will be the third quarterback in Chicago, his vast knowledge of NFL offenses is something he can share with Williams and Bagent as they are still learning Johnson’s scheme. It’s not routine to keep three quarterbacks on the active roster, but Keenum’s 11 years of NFL experience still provide value on this team.

The Bears’ quarterback position has historically been viewed as the weak link and a position that lacked stability and an overall succession plan. It’s early and the Bears haven’t played a game in the regular season, but how Poles has built up the roster, fortifying the interior offensive line, amassing a wealth of pass-catching targets and securing an offensive-minded head coach shows this team is serious about stabilizing the quarterback position for the foreseeable future.