As Chicago Bears mandatory minicamp came to a close on Thursday afternoon, it seems fair to say that thus far, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has done just about everything the Bears could've hope for.
–Making himself at home in the city of Chicago: CHECK
-Partaking in “Green Bay Sucks!” chants: CHECK
-Making a few Wow throws on the practice field: CHECK
-Proving to be coachable as he develops a better feel for the offense: CHECK
The only thing that Caleb Williams hasn't done yet is sign his first NFL contract. Williams' rookie deal with the Chicago Bears is expected to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $39.5 million with a signing bonus of $25.5 million, but the Bears and Williams have yet to come to an official agreement.
But fret not, Bears fans. This will all get handled in time. Even though Caleb Williams is not represented by an agent, he has a team of lawyers and advisors who are working with Bears general manager Ryan Poles to get the deal done. For now, Williams' sole focus is on making progress on the field.
“I'm not handling that,” Caleb Williams said Thursday, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com. “I've been focused on these past three days of minicamp, the OTAs before that and rookie camp before that. … I have lawyers and attorneys to handle things like that so I can be free-minded on the field, enjoying coming into work every day and working my tail off.”
For what it's worth, Caleb Williams is one of thirteen 2024 1st Round picks who have yet to sign their rookie deal, and that includes the Bears #9 pick Rome Odunze, who will enter the 2024 season with nearly as much hype as Williams will. Both players are expected to put pen to paper by the time the Bears return for training camp on July 23rd.
Caleb Williams' performance at Bears Mandatory Minicamp
For those who thought that Caleb Williams would arrive in Chicago and set the world on fire right out of the gate, that hasn't yet been the case. But against a vocal and voracious Bears defense that expects to be among the league's best this season, this shouldn't come as a huge surprise. There have been growing pains, and more often than not, the Bears defense has gotten the better of the offense, but to a man, both on the roster and on the coaching staff, everyone is pleased where Williams is right now:
“I think that Caleb is a talent,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said on Thursday afternoon. “A very good talent. His game will go to where it needs to be.”
“You can see that the natural leadership is there,” said Bears wide receiver DJ Moore, per Alyssa Barbieri of USA Today. “The natural arm talent is there. Everything about him, it’s just always a positive thing. Even when he has a bad play, he’s looking to learn real fast right after. That’s all you can ask of him, for him to quickly forget but also learn at the same time.”
On the other side of the ball, multiple Bears defenders have taken note of how impressive the rookie quarterback has been.
“I thought from Day 1 he has definitely gotten better with it,” linebacker T.J. Edwards said of Williams, per Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago. “You definitely see some things that you don't really expect from a rookie to do. You know, he moved us a couple times with his eyes. The first day, it had me and Tremaine hot about it, but he's impressive for sure.”
One of the newest Chicago Bears, veteran safety Kevin Byard, likes what he's seen as well.
“Just the first three days of practice he’s done a lot of positive things,” Byard said. “He’s made some really great throws. Just coming in with that swag as a rookie quarterback, he doesn’t seem flustered by anything, so that’s exciting to see.”
But perhaps the most telling testimonial coming out of Bears minicamp came from Caleb Williams himself, who despite the ups and downs, still sees the big picture.
“Right now we're working with our head down and we're building,” Williams said. “So just having that moment with myself, I do it every day. I sit there and I say, ‘We're going to be pretty damn good.'”
