The Chicago Bears are not letting D’Andre Swift hit free agency. Chicago and Swift agreed to a three-year, $33.75 million extension with $27.5 million guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, keeping the running back in a Bears uniform through his age-30 season in 2029.
This one made sense the second you looked at last year. Swift, 27, put together the best season of his career in 2025, leading Chicago’s ground game with 1,087 rushing yards and nine touchdowns while adding 34 catches for 299 yards and another score. That is a complete back, not a between-the-tackles specialist.
The deal gives him a raise of more than $3 million in average annual salary over his previous contract. He originally signed with Chicago on a three-year, $24 million deal in 2024 after a strong year in Philadelphia, and the first two seasons of that contract clearly justified an upgrade.
Why Ben Johnson Paid Him
Johnson has been open about how central Swift is to what Chicago wants to do. He has called Swift a vital part of the offense and said the back is capable of more, which is coach-speak for “we are giving him a bigger role and we expect it to work.”
The fit is the point. Johnson’s scheme leans on backs who can do multiple things from multiple alignments, and Swift is one of the few in the league who can grind out a tough inside run on first down and then turn a checkdown into 30 yards on the next series. Timing the extension to a contract year, after a career season, is how you keep that kind of player from testing the market.
Chicago also just bought continuity, which matters more than people realize in a young offense. Swift is entering his second year in Johnson’s system and teammates have noted he seems to have found another gear with the scheme finally familiar. Losing that in a year, right as the offense clicks, would have been self-sabotage.
The Running Back Market Context
$11.25 million a year puts Swift comfortably in the upper tier of NFL running back salaries without making him the position’s highest-paid player. The $27.5 million guaranteed is the more interesting figure, because guaranteed money is where running back deals usually go to die. Chicago committed real cash here.
Teams have spent the last several years arguing that running backs are replaceable, and mostly they have been right. The counterargument is that receiving backs who function as offensive hubs are not replaceable, and Swift is closer to that category than to a two-down plodder. Chicago paid for the pass-game version of the player.
What Chicago’s Offense Looks Like Now
With Swift locked in, the Bears have their skill-position core settled and Johnson can build without an asterisk next to the backfield. That is the real value here. The scheme requires a back who can be trusted in protection and in the route tree, and Chicago no longer has to audition for that job in 2027.
Swift said this offseason that his best football is ahead of him, which is the sort of thing every player in a contract year says. The difference is that he backed it up with 1,087 yards and then got paid for it. Now he has to prove year three under Johnson is better than year two.
Chicago made the easy call and made it early. For a franchise that has historically found creative ways to lose good players, that alone counts as progress.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.