It took all offseason, but Caleb Williams has finally signed his rookie contract with the Chicago Bears. It's a four-year, $39 million contract that is fully guaranteed, plus the fifth-year option.
One is done: Chicago’s No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams is signing a four-year, fully-guaranteed contract worth $39 million that includes a $25.5 million signing bonus and a fifth-year team option, per sources. pic.twitter.com/O6v4m10LNc
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 16, 2024
With all but just a handful of first-round rookies having already signed their contracts weeks ago, and with Rome Odunze signing his rookie deal earlier today, external pressure was beginning to mount on GM Ryan Poles to get this deal done, both from the Bears fanbase and from NFL analysts around the league.
In a season that’s supposed to usher in a new era of hope, no Bears fan wanted to deal with Caleb Williams holding out of training camp and missing valuable reps. Not only would it be a distraction for the team, but the fans would have to deal with merciless ribbing from rival fans as well as TV and radio personalities. The jokes would have written themselves.
But there was never any real reason to be worried about such a scenario. Despite the delay, insiders like Ian Rappaport had reported all along that there was no sense of worry that a deal wouldn’t be done in time for training camp.
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: #Bears QB Caleb Williams is among those who has not yet signed his rookie contract. pic.twitter.com/ILNawbuq1Q
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 15, 2024
Now with every rookie signed, the Bears can focus solely on training camp and preparing for their first test of the 2024 season, the Hall of Fame game on August 1st.