The Chicago Bears have locked in running back D’Andre Swift on a multi-year deal. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Swift agreed to a three-year extension worth $33.75 million, including $27.5 million guaranteed.
Swift, 27, was a focal point of coach Ben Johnson’s offense as the Bears finished 11-6 and captured the NFC North. Last season he rushed for 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 34 receptions for 299 yards and a receiving score. Swift and Johnson’s paths first crossed in Detroit after the Lions selected Swift in the second round of the 2020 draft; Swift was traded to Philadelphia in 2023 before signing a three-year, $24 million deal with Chicago in March 2024. That previous contract was set to run through the 2026 season before this new extension.
Chicago has been active reshaping its payroll this offseason to keep core players. Reworking Jonah Jackson’s and Cole Kmet’s contracts in April freed up more than $10 million in cap space, and in August the team gave right tackle Darnell Wright a four-year, $116 million extension through 2031 — roughly $93 million guaranteed — making Wright the highest-paid right tackle by average annual value. The Bears also restructured Joe Thuney’s, Dayo Odeyingbo’s and T.J. Edwards’ deals to free about $17 million against the 2026 books, moves that helped the team get under the cap and create room to extend Swift before the regular season.
Chicago opens the season in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on Fox.
Fan take: Locking up Swift gives the Bears stability in the backfield and reinforces their commitment to a run-heavy complement to Justin Fields’ skill set, which should keep Chicago competitive in the NFC. For the league, it underscores that teams will still invest meaningful money in workhorse running backs when they demonstrably move the needle on offense.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
