Tyson Bagent

Division II record-setter turned Bears backup quarterback.

Tyson Bagent (born 2000) is a quarterback for the Chicago Bears who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023 after a record-breaking career at Division II Shepherd University. On October 22, 2023, he became the first undrafted Division II rookie quarterback to start an NFL game since 1950.

Quick Facts

Number: 17
Current team: Chicago Bears
Position: Quarterback
Born: 8 June 2000
Birthplace: Martinsburg, West Virginia, U.S.
High school: Martinsburg (WV)
College: Shepherd (2018–2022)
Former teams: Chicago Bears (2023–present)

Facts from the source article.

Background

At Shepherd, Bagent was a five-year starter who set the Division II records for completions and passing yards and the all-divisions NCAA record for touchdown passes with 159, winning the Harlon Hill Trophy in 2021 after a 5,000-yard, 53-touchdown season. He was one of three Division II players at the 2023 Scouting Combine and the only one at the Senior Bowl, where director Jim Nagy likened him to Tony Romo.

After signing he was viewed as a developmental player with little chance of making the 53-man roster, sitting fourth on the depth chart behind Justin Fields, P. J. Walker and Nathan Peterman. He impressed in the preseason, made the final roster as the third quarterback and was promoted to second string by Week 4. He debuted against Minnesota when Justin Fields was injured, then started against Las Vegas and won 30-12, the first Bears quarterback to win his first start since Craig Krenzel in 2004. Over four starts he went 2-2 with 859 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions before Fields returned.

He held off Brett Rypien to back up rookie Caleb Williams in 2024, and on August 20, 2025, signed a two-year, $10 million extension, the first for a Bears quarterback since Jay Cutler in 2014. In a 2025 win over Cincinnati he lined up at receiver for a double-pass play that head coach Ben Johnson called Baby Daddy, in tribute to Bagent's newborn daughter. His father, Travis Bagent, is a 17-time world arm-wrestling champion.