When the Washington Commanders traded edge-rushers Chase Young and Montez Sweat to the San Francisco 49ers and the Chicago Bears respectively on October 31, it was a move toward an uncertain future for the Commanders. The 49ers were looking to upgrade their already fearsome pass rush, and the Bears were just trying to get someone on the field who could disrupt quarterbacks from the edge.
In Sweat’s case, it worked out pretty well. With his six sacks for the Bears over the last nine weeks, and his 6.5 sacks for the Commanders in the first eight weeks, Sweat is now the first player in the recorded history of professional football to lead two teams in sacks in the same season.
We don’t have all sack numbers throughout pro football history — the sack became an official NFL statistic in 1982, and thanks to the work of John Turney and other devoted historians, we now have sack totals going back to 1960. But it’s a pretty nice range of years, and it’s good enough to assume that Sweat has done something no other player ever has.
After the trade, Sweat signed a four-year extension with the Bears worth $98 million in new money, $41.96 million fully guaranteed and $72.86 million in total guarantees. Which might turn out to be quite the bargain at this rate. Per Pro Football Focus, who count half-sacks as full sacks, Sweat finished the 2023 season with career highs in sacks (16) and total pressures (63).
He also made history in quite a unique fashion.
