The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the start of training camp this week, but two prominent rookies remain unsigned — quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze.
Williams recently addressed a question about his contract status and whether he would report to training camp if a deal isn’t done in the coming days.
“I’m not handling that,” Williams told 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.”
ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano shared an update on Monday about Williams and contract negotiations, and it doesn’t sound like there’s reason to worry about a holdout.
“No concern, no drama, making progress,” Graziano said. “He doesn’t have an agent, I think that probably slows things down a little bit. But the Bears believe that they’ll get this done, and there won’t be any disruption.”
Caleb Williams has yet to sign his 4-year rookie contract 👀 @DanGrazianoESPN with the latest update ✍️ pic.twitter.com/cZtsIa56SV
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) July 15, 2024
Williams has been a full participant during rookie minicamp, OTAs and mandatory minicamp throughout the offseason program. But he won’t have a choice with training camp. Williams cannot participate in practice, let alone be at Halas Hall, until a contract is signed.
With Bears rookies set to report to training camp Tuesday — and the first practice slated for Saturday — it’s a storyline to monitor. And one that hopefully is resolved sooner than later.
