Montez Sweat

Shaquan Montez Sweat (born September 4, 1996) is an American football defensive end for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State, Copiah–Lincoln, and Mississippi State before being drafted by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. Sweat was traded to the Bears mid-way through the 2023 season, with whom he received his first Pro Bowl selection.

Early life
Sweat attended Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where he was rated as one of the top defensive ends in the country. He committed to Michigan State to play college football.

College career
Sweat played in two games for Michigan State in 2014, recording one sack, before redshirting in 2015. He left Michigan State in 2016 and enrolled at the Copiah–Lincoln Community College in Mississippi, where he also played for their football team. In 2017, he left again to play for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. In his first season at Mississippi State, Sweat registered 10.5 sacks and was named to the 2017 All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) football team. He then followed up by recording 12 sacks as a senior in 2018, making the 2018 All-SEC football team and being named an All-American.

Washington Redskins/Washington Football Team/Washington Commanders
At the 2019 NFL Combine, Montez set a combine record for a defensive lineman running the 40 yard dash at 4.41 seconds. At the same time, Sweat was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at his combine health physical. However, it was soon discovered to have been a misdiagnosis due to an improper measuring of his heart. Sweat was eventually selected by the Washington Redskins in the first round, 26th overall, of the 2019 NFL draft. The team traded back up into the first round to select him after using their original pick on Dwayne Haskins. He signed his four-year rookie contract on May 29, 2019, worth $11.6 million, including a $6.4 million signing bonus. In Week 3 against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, Sweat recorded his first career sack in a 31–15 loss. In Week 17 against the Dallas Cowboys, Sweat sacked Dak Prescott twice, one of which was a forced fumble that was recovered, during a 47–16 loss.

In a game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving in 2020, Sweat intercepted a pass thrown by Dalton late in the fourth quarter and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown that led to a 41–16 Washington victory. The following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sweat tipped a pass late in the fourth quarter that led to an interception by Jon Bostic to help secure a 23–17 win over the then-undefeated Steelers. In Week 15 Sweat batted a pass by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson which was then intercepted by Daron Payne.

Sweat suffered a jaw fracture during a Week 8 game against the Denver Broncos in 2021 and was placed on injured reserve. After testing positive, he was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list on December 8, 2021. On December 18, he was taken off the COVID-19 list and placed back on the active roster two days later. In the Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sweat recorded a sack and forced a fumble, which was recovered by Landon Collins, on quarterback Jalen Hurts.

On April 27, 2022, the Commanders exercised the fifth-year option in Sweat's contract. In Week 5, Sweat accounted for two of the five sacks the Commanders' had against the Tennessee Titans. He contributed another two sack performance against the Houston Texans in Week 11.

Chicago Bears
On October 31, 2023, Sweat was traded to the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Four days later, he signed a four-year contract extension worth $98 million, including $72 million guaranteed. He recorded his first sack as a Bear in Week 11 against the Detroit Lions in their 31–26 loss. On January 3, 2024, Sweat was named a Pro Bowler for the first time. He finished the season a career-high 12.5 sacks across two teams in 2023, collecting 6.5 while with the Commanders before adding another 6 with the Bears. He became the first player in NFL history to lead two teams in sacks during a single season. Matt Eberflus, the Bears head coach, referred to Sweat's impact as the "'Tez effect", which allowed the other players around him to generate more sacks, quarterback pressures, and turnovers.

Personal life
Sweat was raised by his grandparents as a child. Both his mother and older brother died in 2021, the latter being killed at the age of 27 in a shooting in Henrico County, Virginia. As a rookie, Sweat was featured in Old Spice television commercials.

In June 2021, Sweat expressed his disinterest in getting vaccinations against the COVID-19 virus and that he would forgo getting a COVID-19 vaccine.