Time will tell if Sweat can live up to expectations
Huge contracts come with huge expectations.
Goes without saying, right?
Some players live up to them, while others either don't meet them or fall miserably short.
General manager never had to worry about guys like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa or Greg Maddux.
They were going to dominate whether they were making $30 or $30 million.
Most pros, however, don't fall into this category and that's certainly the case with Montez Sweat, whom the Bears inked to a four-year, $98 million extension last week.
Will the money make him more hungry and more motivated to become a dominant edge rusher? Or will it make him softer and content?
Sweat was asked about the deal after the Bears' 24-17 loss at New Orleans last Sunday and told reporters: "It gives me another sense of security for me to go out there, and if I get injured, I know I'm protected. But that's not really what I'm worried about. I'm worried about getting (wins), getting production."
That first sentence is a bit concerning, but there's no reason to overreact to one sound byte.
After the Bears beat Carolina 16-13 at Soldier Field on Thursday, I got Sweat by himself and asked what he expects out of himself over the next four years.
"Everything is on the table," Sweat said. "I want to be a Pro Bowl guy, I want to be an All Pro, I want to be a Hall of Famer. I want to maximize my potential."
Quite the eye-opening response, huh? So does he feel like he's on that path?
"I do feel like I need to step it up," said Sweat, who has 6½ sacks this season but is still looking for his first double-digit campaign.
After a decent game at New Orleans, Sweat's next test came against a Panthers squad that had allowed 29 sacks (fifth worst), ranked 24th in rushing yards per game at 96.3 and had one receiver with more than 20 catches.
Time for total domination. Right?
Well, not exactly but Sweat did have a solid first half, racking up 3 quarterback hits and forcing an incompletion on Carolina's second play. He used an inside move to break through the line, then chased Panthers QB Bryce Young toward the sideline.
Carolina's biggest offensive play - a 45-yard pass on its second drive - came when Sweat was on the sideline. It led to a field goal that gave Carolina a 10-3 lead.
You'd think a $24.5 million-a-year player would be on the field for nearly every play, but that's not the way it works in the NFL anymore.
When Sweat returned, he impressed on Carolina's third drive by forcing another incompletion. Two plays later, Justin Jones dumped Young for just the Bears' 11th sack of the season.
The Panthers managed just 40 rushing yards and 63 passing in the first half, getting their only TD on a 79-yard punt return from Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
The defense continued its strong play in the third quarter, with Yannick Ngakoue sacking Young on the 4-yard line. That gave the Bears a short field, and they capitalized with a 4-yard TD run by D'Onta Foreman to take a 16-10 lead.
Back to Sweat: One thing you notice is how powerful he is. Many times he overpowered Carolina tackle Taylor Moton, who is 6-foot-5, 325 pounds. The problem was he didn't get off the block often enough to create serious problems.
"I definitely could work on shedding at the top of the rush," Sweat said. "Making a counter move is what it really comes down to."
As for edge rushers who have inked massive deals of late, many are paying big dividends this season.
The Steelers' J.J. Watt (signed in 2021), the Chargers' Joey Bosa (2020) and Khalil Mack (2018), the Browns' Myles Garrett (2020), the Raiders' Maxx Crosby (2022) and the Bengals' Trey Hendrickson (2023) are all averaging $21 million-plus and on pace for 15 or more sacks.
Those are six premier edge rushers, however - a category Sweat is not in.
At least not yet.
Can he stay motivated to become one now that he's "secure" and "protected?"
His words and demeanor after the win over Carolina seem to say yes.
But his past numbers make it seem unlikely.
He has four years to prove me wrong.