Bears edge rusher out of Mississippi State who led Chicago with 10 sacks and reached 50 for his career in 2025.
Montez Sweat is the centerpiece of Chicago's pass rush and a steadying veteran presence on a young defense. In 2025 he started all 17 games, paced the team with 10 sacks, and crossed 50 career sacks. His durability and leadership helped anchor a Bears front that pushed into the playoff conversation.
Path to the league
Sweat was a first-round pick by Washington in 2019 out of Mississippi State, where he posted 22 sacks over two seasons. The Bears acquired him at the 2023 trade deadline and signed him to a long-term extension to make him their premier edge rusher.
Career highlights
Sweat reached 50 career sacks during the 2025 campaign, a milestone across seven NFL seasons. His blend of length, bend, and run defense has made him one of the more complete edge defenders of his era.
2025 season
Sweat started all 17 regular-season games and led the Bears with 10 sacks while adding 53 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 18 quarterback hits, five passes defensed, and three forced fumbles. He reached the sack column in eight of his final 12 contests, setting career highs in sacks and tackles.
Sources
- Bleacher Nation: Montez Sweat established himself as a leader in 2025
- ESPN: Montez Sweat player page
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | bears | 17 | 53 | 36 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 2024 | bears | 16 | 32 | 18 | 5.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | commanders | 8 | 32 | 21 | 6.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023 | bears | 9 | 25 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2023 | 2023 Totals | 17 | 57 | 38 | 12.5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 2022 | commanders | 17 | 46 | 27 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2021 | washington | 10 | 24 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | washington | 16 | 45 | 28 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 2019 | washington | 16 | 50 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive End
- Group
- defense
- College
- Mississippi State
- Hometown
- Stone Mountain, GA, USA
- Age
- 29
- Status
- active
