Tyson Bagent, the Chicago Bears quarterback, knows a thing or two about the importance of family support. His father, Travis Bagent, endured significant hardship growing up, living without running water from kindergarten through ninth grade. Travis and his brothers would carry buckets of water into their home to wash before school and often relied on a cousin’s house to shower on weekends.

Tyson, the oldest of four children, did not experience the same level of deprivation, but his family’s finances were not always secure. He has previously revealed that at times the family’s monthly rent depended on his father’s earnings from arm-wrestling competitions. Tyson’s father was a world arm-wrestling champion with 17 titles.

Ahead of the 2025 season, however, the Bears secured Bagent’s future for a couple more years after signing him to a two-year, $10 million extension. At that time, Tyson Bagent became emotional as he reflected on the sacrifices and struggles his family endured along the way.

“I think a lot of people don’t know this, but my dad is my right-hand man, and he didn’t even have running water until he was in high school,” said Bagent after signing his deal last year. “So, there’s definitely a lot of things and people that I could certainly help with this gift I’ve been blessed with, but just little things like that, you know, I don’t really know anybody back at home with any money. So, it feels good. I mean, it’s certainly a weight off my shoulders and my family’s shoulders. So, it definitely means a lot.”

The Bears signed Bagent as an undrafted free agent after the 2023 NFL Draft. After signing his contract extension, he became the first Bears quarterback to receive an extension since Jay Cutler in 2014. However, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Tyson Bagent’s football journey itself has been anything but ordinary.

Bagent was a zero-star recruit coming out of Martinsburg High School. Despite becoming one of the most successful quarterbacks in West Virginia high school football, he didn’t receive the major college recruiting attention he expected.

He led Martinsburg to back-to-back undefeated state championship seasons in 2016 and 2017 and finished his high-school career with roughly 7,800 passing yards and 112 touchdowns. Yet major programs weren’t pursuing him.

“Everybody from Martinsburg that came to watch me play would say I was the greatest thing ever and throw out some crazy schools they thought offers might come from,” he had said. “WVU never reached out, which stung for a little bit. I thought schools like Marshall and James Madison would recruit me, so I was surprised they didn’t.”

Ultimately, Bagent chose Shepherd University, a Division II school located close to his hometown. However, he didn’t have the resources at Shepherd that come with a major FBS program. Bagent himself described learning to “do the most you can with as little as you have.”

The program only had two athletic trainers for all sports combined, didn’t have a training table, and its weight room wasn’t as well equipped as the one at his high school.

Now, however, the 26-year-old is all set to start his fourth season with the Bears. Across three seasons, Bagent has started four games in 12 appearances, while leading Chicago to a 2-2 finish. In the stretch, he recorded 917 passing yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions.