Chicago, you officially have a new franchise quarterback.
About 19 minutes into night one of the highly anticipated 2024 NFL Draft, the Bears used their No. 1 pick to secure USC quarterback and 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. And although the pick may have been the worst kept secret in the NFL, the move was still met with plenty of fanfare.
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"Learn all my teammates names, their families, learn the playbook and get ready to go win games," he said.
In a stacked quarterback class that includes Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and J.J. McCarty, Williams stood head and shoulders above the rest to the decision-makers inside Halas Hall.
For the Bears, Williams represents their latest and best chance to break an 80-year quarterback curse.
"He played at Oklahoma and USC," former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who coached Williams as an interim head coach in 2021, told NBC Sports Chicago. "That’s what I’ll say about that. There isn’t much more pressure than at those two programs. I don’t think anything is too big for him to handle."
Chicago Bears
Of course, with great power comes great responsibility. And when you're the quarterback of the Chicago Bears, the weight on your shoulders is heavier than most in this town have been able to bare.
When asked by ESPN's Molly McGrath asked what his first step would be as a member of the Bears, here's what Williams said:
"Learn all my teammates names, their families, learn the playbook and get ready to go win games."
MORE: Caleb Williams dons custom American-made luxury suit, painted nails at NFL Draft
But Williams' joining the team isn't the only thing that happened during night one of the draft. And the Bears still have more picks to go.
As day two gets underway, here are x big takeaways from Thursday.
1. Williams is among the most highly-touted quarterback prospects in recent memory
Caleb Williams was the consensus No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft -- think Joe Burrow and Andrew Luck, that type of hype.
Williams began his college career in 2021, at Oklahoma as Spencer Rattler’s backup. It didn’t take long for him to win the starting job as a freshman, however. On Oct. 9, partway through Oklahoma’s rivalry game against Texas, Williams got his chance and never looked back. Rattler struggled in the early goings, and the Sooners fell to a 28-7 deficit in the first quarter. So head coach Lincoln Riley put in Williams, and Williams took off– literally. He reeled off a 66-yard touchdown run on a 4th-and-1 play to cut the lead in half. From there he threw two more touchdowns and led the Sooners to an incredible 55-48 comeback win.
Including the crazy comeback, the Sooners went 6-2 with Williams leading the offense for the rest of the season.
When Riley left Oklahoma for USC, Williams followed him. The two flourished in Los Angeles, and Williams won the Heisman Trophy in 2022. Williams and the Trojans had championship aspirations last season, but they were largely held back by one of the worst defenses in the nation. Still, Williams led USC to 41.8 points per game, which ranked third in the country.
If there’s one knock on Williams, it’s that he fumbled the ball at a higher rate in 2023 than he did at any other point in his career. At both Oklahoma and USC, however, Williams threw very few interceptions.
2. Williams will wear No. 18
It's been obvious for months that the Bears would draft Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick, and Fanatics — the official licensed supplier of NFLShop.com — acted accordingly.
Less than an hour after the USC quarterback's name was called by Roger Goodell in Detroit, fanatics had five different variations of Caleb Williams' No. 18 jersey ready for preorder.
If you want to enter this new era of Chicago Bears football in style, jerseys are available at NFLShop.com and Fanatics. Prices start at $129.
3. Bears select Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick
Despite rumors at the Bears would trade their No. 9 pick, the team went with Rom Odunze, a wide receiver from Washington.
While most of the hubbub about the Bears’ first round of the 2024 NFL draft centered around Williams, the Bears might have found another offensive cornerstone in Odunze.
“I don't know where to start with that guy,” Bears GM Ryan Poles said. “First of all, a human being, what a great guy. Work ethic, just blue collar in the way he goes about things. But as a receiver, he can line up anywhere: inside, outside. You love his ability to finish in contested situations. Plays strong, plays big, run after catch is very good. He's a punt returner as well.”
Odunze burst onto the scene in 2023 after he opted not to leave for the draft following the 2022 season. It was a great move. After being projected to be a day two pick last year, he rose all the way into the top-10 thanks to these incredible numbers. All the rankings in parentheses are among wide receivers with at least 100 targets in 2023.
1,639 yards (1st), 74 first downs (1st), 21 contested catches (1st), 75% contested catch rate (1st), 15.5 yard average depth of target (2nd), 13 TDs (t-4th), 3.2% drop rate (6th).
Equally important: Odunze was a key cog in the Washington Huskies’ run to the national title game.
“I mean, the kid's just put time in and he got better and better every single year and he's a winner,” Poles said. “He can impact the game at any moment. If you're at quarterback, and you're in doubt, you want to just go give a guy an opportunity to go finish, he's your guy. He's done that consistently.”
4. ‘We got our guy': Williams reacts to Bears selecting Odunze
Caleb Williams reacted with tons of energy when he watched the Bears draft Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze.
And he kept the energy with him when the new Bears quarterback finally got to greet his new receiver.
"Rome Odunze! It's time, baby! Let's do it, baby! We about to turn up, man," Williams cheered.
The pairing of Williams and Odunze in the draft was the most prominently believed outcome for the Bears. In fact, Williams, Odunze, Moore and Allen recently met in Los Angeles for a throwing session.
Odunze prognosticated the prowess a Bears offense including him and Williams could have on the Under Center podcast, too.
“I think it would be explosive, honestly," Odunze said of teaming up with Williams in Chicago. There are a lot of weapons on that field, and it would be hard for any defense to stop that honestly with any sort of double coverage or focusing on one defender, kind of like exactly what I had in Washington. I know how to fit into something like that.”
5. How much will Williams and Odunze make in their rookie year?
All contracts for players drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft must be four years long with an option for a fifth year that must be picked up or declined after their third season.
Williams is projected to make nearly $40 million on his first contract. As one of the highest-paid NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) athletes in college athletics history, he already has money in the bank. He also already has sponsorships under his belt.
For Odunze, he's expected to make nearly $23 million over the first four years of his career. Like Williams, his comes with a fifth-year option. Since rookie contracts are slotted in a tier system, Odunze makes less because he was drafted eight picks after Williams.
6. Bears get A+ Grade in night one of 2024 NFL Draft
The Bears had their two first-round picks fall right into their laps, and they didn't mess it up. Williams has been the obvious choice at No. 1 overall since Justin Fields' trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers, then came Washington wideout Rome Odunze at No. 9 overall.
Field must be somewhere fuming given Williams is entering a much better situation than him, especially considering star wideout D.J. Moore is already on the roster.
It may take some time for Williams to lead Chicago to title contention (or, at least, away from mediocrity), but there's no doubt the foundation has been laid for its next era.
7. How many picks do the Bears have left?
After expending two picks in the first round of Thursday's portion of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bears have two picks left. They own the No. 75 and No. 122 picks in the draft. Here's when they will draft those picks.
As for who they'll draft, here's Bears' insider Josh Schrock's final, keep-it-simple mock draft for Poles and the Bears to ace a rare opportunity.