Bears' Sweat rips 'toxic' Commanders: 'Just losing'

Bears defensive end Montez Sweat is extremely happy with how last year's trade that sent him to Chicago from the Washington Commanders turned out.

"I definitely made a transition to a better spot for me," Sweat recently told Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times. "This was my first Pro Bowl and first double-digit sack year and all those types of things. I reached some accolades that I always had aspirations of getting but never reached in Washington. You could definitely say it worked out better for me."

A 2019 first-rounder, Sweat played four-plus seasons with the Commanders, who traded him to the Bears last October for a second-round pick. He later signed a four-year extension worth $98 million with the NFC North club.

Sweat had 29 sacks in 59 appearances across his four full years with Washington but didn't record a double-digit sack campaign. After being traded midway through the 2023 season with 6.5 sacks, he amassed six more with Chicago to set a career-high 12.5 sacks and claim his first Pro Bowl nod. Sweat also became the first player in NFL history to lead two teams in sacks in the same season.

The 27-year-old said he believes the Commanders' old culture held him back.

"It was a toxic, heavy toll, just losing, and people around you being kinda OK with losing," Sweat said of his Washington tenure. "It could sometimes rub off on you. You've gotta stay hungry and know that you want to win."

Sweat enters the 2024 season as a crucial member of the Bears' defense. Chicago - which hasn't won a playoff game since the 2010 season - kicked off a new era this year by drafting quarterback Caleb Williams first overall.

The pass-rusher said there's a "great atmosphere" in the Bears' building.

Sweat will face his former team in 2024 when the Bears visit the Commanders in Week 8.