The Falcons made an offer to the Commanders for defensive end Montez Sweat, initially proposing a third-round pick with certain conditions that could have upgraded it to a second-round pick. However, they later revised their offer, suggesting a straightforward second-round pick in exchange for Sweat.
Montez Sweat, originally a Washington Commanders player, had his status change multiple times, transitioning from being in a contract year with the Commanders to a short-term stint with the Chicago Bears before signing a substantial four-year, $98 million extension with the Bears.
Sweat, who has ties to Atlanta, initially preferred a trade to the Falcons, but ultimately, the Bears’ struggles worked in their favor, securing the trade.
The Packers had also offered the Steelers a second-round pick for Chase Claypool last year, but Pittsburgh opted for the Chicago offer, anticipating a higher draft position, which indeed materialized in the 2023 draft.
Chicago’s general manager, Ryan Poles, has a history of making trade moves as a buyer, even when the team is in a seller’s position.
While the Claypool trade didn’t pan out as expected, the Bears are more optimistic about Sweat, who is now one of the NFL’s top-paid edge defenders.
The article also mentions that the Bears were not enthusiastic about the 2024 edge rusher pool, and the Packers’ extension of Rashan Gary further affected the market. The Bears offered Sweat a higher annual average value (AAV) compared to Gary.
Several other edge rushers, including Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith, are set for free agency in 2024, but the Bears chose to make their significant move early.
On the Falcons’ side, they lacked a solid foundation on the edge, with Bud Dupree and Lorenzo Carter on short-term contracts. The team’s overall sack numbers ranked low, and they hoped that acquiring Sweat would improve their pass-rushing performance, even though the Bears had their own struggles in that department.
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