Caleb Williams finally put to rest his first Bears question mark.
The quarterback and No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft finally inked his rookie contract Tuesday, a four-year deal worth $39 million — fully guaranteed with a $25.5 million signing bonus, per ESPN.
The deal includes a fifth-year team option.
Williams’ contract ends a saga that had Chicago fans and pundits wondering what was happening with the 22-year-old and his rookie deal, as he reported to training camp Tuesday morning.
Among the questions being asked was who was doing the negotiating on the QB’s behalf after he said Saturday that it wasn’t him.
“I’m not handling that,” Williams said, per the Chicago Tribune. “My lawyers and attorney and everybody, the head of the Bears, everybody up there up top is handling that. That’s not my position that I’m handling.”
The Bears told the NFL that they were not talking to any third parties, a league spokesperson told Pro Football Talk, leading the outlet to believe Willams’ lawyers were not NFLPA certified.
Whatever the issue, it’s now in the rearview, with the Bears finally getting to work with the USC product, long hailed as a transformational quarterback who can change the franchise’s fortunes.
Williams will be joined at Halas Hall by wide receiver Rome Odunze, who also signed his rookie deal Tuesday, a four-year $22.7 million pact, which includes a $13.3 million signing bonus.