Current:Home > FinanceBears finally come to terms with first-round picks, QB Caleb Williams and WR Rome Odunze -EliteFunds
Bears finally come to terms with first-round picks, QB Caleb Williams and WR Rome Odunze
Surpassing View
Date:2025-04-09 16:04:17
Tuesday was the first day of training camp for the Chicago Bears' rookies – two of them becoming very rich men just in the nick of time.
Quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze became among the league's final first-round draft picks of 2024 to reach terms on their initial NFL contracts. This year's No. 1 overall pick out of USC, Williams, per reports, agreed a four-year pact worth a fully guaranteed $39.5 million ($25.5 million of it earmarked as a signing bonus) by slotting at the the top of the board. Widely projected as a generational prospect, he joins a roster much stronger than most top selections enjoy and could immediately restore Chicago to contending status.
Odunze, a University of Washington product chosen ninth overall, is expected to be one of Williams' top targets well into the future – though he may have to take a backseat to the likes of veteran wideouts DJ Moore and Keenan Allen and established tight end Cole Kmet in 2024. Odunze is guaranteed $22.7 million over the next four seasons.
As first-rounders, Williams and Odunze could be retained on balloon payment fifth-year options in 2028 assuming they've fulfilled expectations to that point but haven't yet signed extensions (both will be eligible for one in 2027).
NFL OFFSEASON GRADES: Bears break curve with only A+
All things Bears: Latest Chicago Bears news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
Coming off a 7-10 season, Chicago is looking for its first playoff campaign since 2020 and first postseason win since the 2010 season but will have to successfully navigate a highly competitive NFC North to meet those objectives.
Bears veterans are set to report to camp Friday. Chicago is among the league's first teams to show up for work this summer since it will kick off the preseason Aug. 1 against the Houston Texans in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
***Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.
veryGood! (95)
Related
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Decade's old missing person case solved after relative uploads DNA to genealogy site
- The tooth fairy isn't paying as much for teeth this year, contrary to market trends
- Video shows 7 people being rescued after seaplane crashes near PortMiami: Watch
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- 2024 SAG Awards: Glen Powell Reacts to Saving Romcoms and Tom Cruise
- You're Invited Inside the 2024 SAG Awards After-Party With Jon Hamm, Joey King and More
- SAG Awards 2024 Red Carpet Fashion: See Every Look As the Stars Arrive
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Inside the SAG Awards: A mostly celebratory mood for 1st show since historic strike
Ranking
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Leaders are likely to seek quick dismissal as Mayorkas impeachment moves to the Senate
- Vigils held nationwide for nonbinary Oklahoma teenager who died following school bathroom fight
- Republicans running for Senate seek to navigate IVF stance after Alabama ruling
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Margot Robbie Has New Twist on Barbie With Black and Pink SAG Awards Red Carpet Look
- Former NFL player Richard Sherman arrested on suspicion of DUI, authorities in Washington state say
- Miley Cyrus’ 'phallic room' of sex toys made her a perfect fit for 'Drive-Away Dolls'
Recommendation
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
South Carolina primary exit polls for the 2024 GOP election: What voters said as they cast their ballots
Border Patrol releases hundreds of migrants at a bus stop after San Diego runs out of aid money
Kings beat Clippers 123-107 behind Fox and hand LA back-to-back losses for 1st time since December
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
Inexpensive Clothing Basics on Amazon that Everyone Needs in Their Wardrobe STAT
What you didn't see on TV during the SAG Awards, from Barbra Streisand to Pedro Pascal
'SNL' host Shane Gillis addresses being fired as a cast member: 'Don't look that up'