Current:Home > NewsRekubit Exchange:Bears finally come to terms with first-round picks, QB Caleb Williams and WR Rome Odunze -CapitalCourse
Rekubit Exchange:Bears finally come to terms with first-round picks, QB Caleb Williams and WR Rome Odunze
EchoSense View
Date:2025-04-10 12:15:38
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 Rekubit Exchangewide 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! (2)
Related
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Consumer Group: Solar Contracts Force Customers to Sign Away Rights
- Half the World’s Sandy Beaches May Disappear by Century’s End, Climate Study Says
- Court: Federal Coal Lease Program Not Required to Redo Climate Impact Review
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Swimmers should get ready for another summer short on lifeguards
- Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello Make Our Wildest Dreams Come True at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour
- The hospital bills didn't find her, but a lawsuit did — plus interest
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- How a secret Delaware garden suddenly reemerged during the pandemic
Ranking
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Ashlee Simpson Shares the Secret to Her and Evan Ross' Decade-Long Romance
- How a secret Delaware garden suddenly reemerged during the pandemic
- Gas stoves pollute homes with benzene, which is linked to cancer
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- A woman in Ecuador was mistakenly declared dead. A doctor says these cases are rare
- In Texas, a rare program offers hope for some of the most vulnerable women and babies
- The hospital bills didn't find her, but a lawsuit did — plus interest
Recommendation
Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
Sarah, the Duchess of York, undergoes surgery following breast cancer diagnosis
Trump Takes Aim at Obama-Era Rules on Methane Leaks and Gas Flaring
How Late Actor Ray Stevenson Is Being Honored in His Final Film Role
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says DeSantis' campaign one of the worst I've seen so far — The Takeout
Georgia police department apologizes for using photo of Black man for target practice
Where Mama June Shannon Stands With Her Daughters After Family Tension