Montez Sweat contract details: Bears agree to four-year mega-deal with pass rusher

Montez Sweat has long been considered one of the NFL's more under-appreciated stars. On Saturday, though, he got his taste of the high life: the Bears pass-rusher agreed to a mammoth extension, one that will see him rocket into the top 10 highest-paid defensive players.

Sweat's arrival in the Windy City had some flummoxed. After all, Chicago sits at the bottom of the NFC North and appears destined for another top-five selection. Bringing in Sweat at the trade deadline cost the Bears a pretty penny — a second-round pick in next year's draft.

With his new deal, there appears to have been a method to the madness. Sweat, who has 35.5 sacks and 47 tackles for loss in 67 career games, has already established himself as a force to be reckoned with on the line of scrimmage.

And he could very well be reaching another level; he's got 6.5 sacks in eight games in 2023. All of that amounted to a priority signing for Poles and the Monsters of the Midway, one that they hope will serve as the catalyst for improvement over the coming few seasons.

MORE: Why did the Bears trade for Montez Sweat? 

With that, here's what you need to know about Sweat's contract extension:

Montez Sweat contract details

According to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, Sweat is making quite the haul: he reportedly agreed terms to a four-year, $98 million deal on Saturday. The extension will see Sweat bring in $24.5 million per year in average annual value (AAV), making him one of the highest-paid defensive players in the land.

But wait, there's more. Sweat's contract will see him earn $72,865,360 of guaranteed money. Additionally, if he reaches certain incentives on his contract, he can make up to $105 million.

Sweat's new deal sees him catapult into an entirely new tax bracket among defensive players. For him to do so without ever posting a double-digit sack season is particularly impressive. Sweat's latest contract earns more bread than sack specialists such as Maxx Crosby, Khalil Mack and Quinnen Williams in terms of AAV.

Klutch Sports has come to gain a reputation for helping athletes receive big bags in their respective playing fields. It seems Sweat is the latest indication of the Rich Paul-founded agency's growing stature in the world of sports.

NFL's highest-paid defensive players

Sweat rises into the upper crust of NFL defenders with his new contract extension, both in terms of AAV and total contract value. Interestingly enough, Sweat's latest deal compares favorably to that of Myles Garrett, notable given the fact that Sweat has yet to eclipse the 10-sack mark in a single season while Garrett is a perennial Defensive Player of the Year contender.

Below is a look at how Sweat's contract compares to those of other star defenders.

Average annual value