On this episode of Football Night in Chicago, David Haugh is joined by former NFL head coach Dave Wannstedt and Bears insider Josh Schrock to preview Bears training camp. They discuss the pros and cons of Caleb Williams playing in the Bears first game on August 1
There was never going to be a holdout. The term "drama" doesn't even adequately represent Caleb Williams' contract situation, which ended Tuesday when the rookie quarterback signed his four-year deal with the Bears.
Williams has done everything right since the Bears made him the No. 1 overall pick in April.
He arrived in Chicago and immediately showed that he understood and was willing to embrace every aspect that comes with being the face of the franchise. He told local media that immortality is his goal and was looking forward to all their talks after all the games they would win. He ventured into the Chicago community, showing up at Sky, White Sox, and Cubs games. He joined in a "Green Bay sucks!" chant with fans at a Wrigleyville bar. This past weekend, his Caleb Cares Foundation hosted its first Chicago event with Mayor Brandon Johnson and several Bears representatives in attendance.
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There was never a chance he'd throw all those good first impressions out the window for a meaningless squabble over a slotted rookie contract. I checked in with a source Monday about Williams' contract and Rome Odunze's, and the message was clear: There's no reason to expect any issue. They'll both get done soon.
One day later, Odunze and Williams signed their deals within an hour of each other.
There has been some online speculation that the signings were delayed so they could be filmed for the first episode of "Hard Knocks." I have no information on that, but it would be a very PR-savvy move for the Bears and the NFL to document the beginning of an era filled with hope and promise. (Aren't they all?)
The Boston Red Sox and their fans relive Dave Roberts' famous stolen base that sparked their 2004 ALCS comeback win over the Yankees and eventually led to the end of "The Curse of the Bambino" ad nauseam.
If Williams winds up snapping a long and tortured quarterback history in Chicago, you might as well preserve the moment.
It's unlikely that was the motive, but you can't rule anything out in today's "content era."
CHICAGO BEARS
With Wiliams putting pen to paper Tuesday, Saturday's opening of training camp can fully serve as the true unveiling of general manager Ryan Poles' brilliant rebuild job.
The Bears will open camp with zero questions about contract holdouts.
There will be no handwringing about the long-term uncertainty at quarterback. Williams has that box checked.
There will be no staring at the wide receiver group wondering how the passing attack plans to get off the ground. DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Odunze, and tight end Cole Kmet form a lethal group of pass-catchers.
Of course, there are question marks. Poles is the first to admit this team is not finished, nor is his vision. But the prevailing questions take a backseat to the surge of electricity Williams' arrival has created.
Even head coach Matt Eberflus, who avoided the axe last season, has rebranded himself. New haircut. New beard. New confidence.
That confidence can be traced back to Williams and the multiple strokes of fate that allowed the Bears to land the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft and eventually turn it into Williams a year later.
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner has been highly coveted since he burst onto the scene as a freshman at Oklahoma. Billed as a "generational talent," Williams -- with his elite arm talent, accuracy, precision, and rare aura -- was exactly the antidote a weary Bears franchise and a coach on the hot seat needed.
The injection of energy Williams, as well as Odunze and Allen, have provided the franchise is hard to quantify. But it has been ripping through the Halas Hall corridors since before the quarterback arrived in April.
The times just might be changing.
With Williams putting pen to paper Tuesday, the Bears can kick off the start of something new without anything hanging over their heads and without stepping on any rakes.
The Caleb Williams era is set to begin. And with it, almost anything feels possible for the Bears.
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