The days of excruciating first-round rookie holdouts have been long gone in the NFL. The league's latest Collective Bargaining Agreement all but erased leverage and negotiating power from players and agents, which is why the unsigned status of Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze should be at least a bit concerning for Chicago Bears fans.
Williams and Odunze are two of five unsigned first-round picks, and while GM Ryan Poles has done a good job getting his draft selections under contract in time for training camp, this is the first year in which the Bears made the top overall pick, let alone two picks in the top 10.
So, what's the holdup?
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio did a nice job breaking down the three biggest contract issues that could plague negotiations, which are:
1. Signing bonus cash flow
2. Voiding of guaranteed money
3. Guarantee offsets
Essentially, it all comes down to players getting their guaranteed money protected and getting their bonus cash quickly.
There will certainly be some Chicago Bears fans who claim a Caleb Williams holdout should've been expected because of his unique approach to the pre-draft process. He basically called his own shots, and there was speculation that his father and team of advisors would be difficult to work with regarding contract negotiations.
Perhaps that's true. Maybe the Williams camp is trying to break the wheel and get a contract they want rather than the contract the NFL's CBA dictates. But that's nothing more than speculation, and remember: Williams isn't the only unsigned first-round pick. It would be lazy to suggest he's being difficult while the other unsigned first-rounders are simply negotiating.
There's been no indication that Rome Odunze will be hard to sign, so unless we get to the point that Odunze signs and Williams doesn't (or vice versa), I have a sneaky suspicion the Chicago Bears want to time the announcement of these signings as a way to kick off training camp with some juice and buzz.
There's no need to panic... yet.