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Mike Macdonald looks on at Seahawks rookie minicamp.
It’s no secret that the Chicago Bears could still improve their pass rush. For the Bears to be the team they’re looking to be, it’ll start on the defensive side of the football. While the offense has been the focus during the offseason, especially with the addition of Ben Johnson, the Bears might look to make a trade or two for defensive help.
In a recent trade proposal from Beth Mishler-Elmore of Heavy Sports, the Bears would do just that in a deal with the Seattle Seahawks. Her trade proposal would bring the Seahawks a backup quarterback in the form of Tyson Bagent.
“In just two seasons, Tyson Bagent has become a fan favorite whose poise and reliability earned him the backup quarterback spot behind Caleb Williams last year and Justin Fields the year prior.
“But when the Bears brought veteran Case Keenum to Chicago to provide some much-needed veteran mentorship, Bagent’s job as QB2 became much less secure. While it’s very likely the Bears will carry three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, it’s also possible Chicago will consider trading Bagent and keeping Keenum, as there could be a few teams interested in a QB who has proven he can win in the NFL. Bagent qualifies,” she wrote.
The Trade Idea
Regarding the full trade proposal, she proposed the idea of the Seattle Seahawks sending Boye Mafe to the Chicago Bears. In return, the Seahawks would get Bagent and a 2026 third-round pick.
“As for the Bears, they could use affordable pass rush help, and Seattle edge Boye Mafe could provide it. Here’s a trade proposal that would benefit both teams:
“Chicago Bears receive: Boye Mafe. Seattle Seahawks receive: QB Tyson Bagent, 2026 third-round pick,” she added.
Would the Seahawks Move off Mafe?
The Seattle Seahawks giving up on Mafe this early seems a bit premature, but he’s also shown some interesting signs throughout his career. Listed as a linebacker, he plays off the edge a good bit, and had six sacks a season ago.
After posting nine during the 2023 campaign, the hope was for him to be even better, but that wasn’t the case, as most of his numbers were down compared to the year prior.
Still, he posted a 75.2 overall grade, according to PFF. He was much better in the run defense category, posting a 77.8 grade compared to 65.7 in the pass rush category.
But some still believe that he could be traded, including A to Z Sports, which linked him to an offseason deal.
“A pretty similar situation to Paye. The bill is about to come due on Mafe and the Seahawks have one of the worst cap situations in the league right now. Things get better for them in 2026 and they could either sign Mafe to an extension this offseason or have one of the best cap situations in the league in 2026 and do whatever they want.
“Mafe is good, but he didn’t take the giant step forward that Seahawks fans maybe thought he would in 2024,” they wrote.
If the Seahawks want to move on from Mafe, they might view a backup quarterback as a decent option. However, in this scenario, the 2026 third-round pick would be much more valuable.
Jon Conahan covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. Since 2019, his sports coverage has appeared at Sports Illustrated, oddschecker, ClutchPoints and Sportskeeda. More about Jon Conahan
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