The Sun-Times had the Tyson Bagent story down pat — from the beginning

CHGO Bears reporter Mark Carman broke the news that Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent had signed a two-year, $10 million contract extension. But when it comes to "The Tyson Bagent Story," let the record show that the Sun-Times' Pat Finley had it first.

Reporters pride themselves as storytellers just as football coaches pride themselves on being "good teachers," and nobody falls head over heels for a good story like Pat — whether it's John Fox's pet Ocelot or George Halas' houseplant. It doesn't take much to go get Pat into what we call "Full Finley Mode" ("Details!") in the media room at Halas Hall. It's what makes him tick.

In the context of the NFL draft and the myriad storylines that come out of draft weekend, a Division II quarterback with an NCAA-record 159 touchdowns who signs as an undrafted free agent can get lost in the shuffle pretty easily. But Tyson Bagent of Shepherd (W. Va.) had a hook that Pat couldn't ignore — his father was a former trash-talking world arm-wrestling champion from Martinsburg, West Va.

Travis Bagent, a 28-time world champion arm wrestler, was an easy hook for a story on Bears undrafted free agent Tyson Bagent. "I'm just anxious for what I believe will happen ... for us to be the kings of Chicago."

Tyson Bagent was the first Division II quarterback drafted since 1994. He threw 159 touchdown passes at Shepherd University — the most by a quarterback at any NCAA level at the time.

I probably wasn't the only one on the Bears beat who rolled his eyes at a story on a long shot quarterback a week after the draft — especially after the the Bears had signed P.J. Walker to a two-year, $4 million contract in free agency to back up Justin Fields. It wasn't like Tyson Bagent was going to beat out P.J. Walker. But Pat wrote it well, and the story is fresh in my mind, because I finally read it yesterday — Aug. 20, 2025.

But Pat got the last laugh even last year when Bagent quickly became a story beyond his father's arm-wrestling exploits. And it was right around this time in camp in 2023 — with Walker struggling (16.7 passer rating) against the Colts in a preseason game while Bagent (98.3) led a touchdown drive — that Bagent might have a real shot at winning the back-up job. Pat wrote that story as well. But this time, he had company.

Tyson Bagent's impressive performance against the Colts in the preseason in 2023 — right after P.J. Walker was just as unimpressive — was a turning point in that training camp.

Here's the kicker: After years of ignoring the back-up quarterback in training camp — only to find myself in a scrum at his locker or as part of a full house in the media room when the backup became the starter at some point during the regular season, I made a point to talk to the back-up in training camp in 2023.

This 1st-and-10 column from the 2023 preseason included three Tyson Bagent items. Even then I thought Walker would be the back-up. I was wrong.

It was Walker, and to my chagrin was doubly ill-fated. Not only was the interview so poor (my fault!) that the story never even was written, but Walker did not even make the team. He was not that surprisingly released in the final roster cutdown, which made Bagent the Bears' back-up quarterback. I guess that's why Pat is writing from my cubicle at Halas Hall these days, while I am writing from an office that feels more and more like my mother's basement with every story I write these days.

Pat wrote that Bagent story as well, without taking a well-deserved victory lap, as I recall.

It was only fitting that Bagent's father — and Bagent's emotional response to a question about his family that Pat Finley asked — became a part of the latest Tyson Bagent story Wednesday. It was right in Pat's wheelhouse.

"A lot of people don't know this, but my dad is my right-hand man," Tyson said after wiping tears with his Bears t-shirt as he tried to compose himself. "He didn't have running water until he was in high school, so there's dfiniely a lot of things and people that I can certainly help with this gift I've been blessed with. I don't really know anybody back at home with any money. It feels good. It's a weight off my shoulders and my family's shoulders and ... yeah, it definitely means a lot."

I might quarrel with Pat's lede in that "Tyson Bagent isn't going anywhere." If Ben Johnson's offense takes off — a real possibility, even this season — Bagent's value will surge and put Johnson in position to take advantage of a struggling team desperate for a quarterback or a contending team in need of a playoff-quality backup. (Did I say Johnson? I meant general manager Ryan Poles.) But the way Pat's luck is running with the Bagent story, Bagent will get an opportunity in place of Caleb Williams and turn out to be the perfect quarterback for Johnson's offense. That's folly right now, but the way this story is developing, laugh at your own peril.

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