Bears begin new era by selecting USCs Caleb Williams with No. 1 pick in 2024 NFL Draft
The winds of Chicago never knocked the Bears off of making Caleb Williams their next franchise quarterback.One of the biggest foregone conclusions in NFL Draft history became official Thursday night when the Bears selected Williams with the No.1 overall pick.The Bears didn’t host any of the other five projected first-round quarterbacks on a facility visit, and Williams didn’t visit any other teams. Williams, 22, steps into a situation more conducive to immediate success than any No.
1-drafted quarterback since at least Andrew Luck in 2011.Maybe longer.The Bears finished 7-10 last season but held the No.
1 pick by virtue of a March 2023 trade with the Panthers, who went a league-worst 2-15.They also are scheduled to pick No.
9.Since the season ended, the Bears added Keenan Allen – who is coming off of a 108-catch, 1,243-yard season and sixth Pro Bowl selection – in a trade with the Chargers to pair with D.J.Moore (96 catches for 1,364 yards) and form arguably the NFL’s best receiver tandem.In total, the Bears spent $166 million this offseason, including $77 million on free agents, per spotrac.com.The Bears also traded starting quarterback Justin Fields to the Steelers for a sixth-round pick to make room for Williams, after choosing to hold onto Fields and not pick either Bryce Young or C.J.
Stroud with the No.1 pick in the 2023 Draft (traded to the Panthers).“I want to play in one place for 20 years, and chase one guy, No.
12,” Williams said, in reference to Tom Brady’s record seven Super Bowl rings, during a recent appearance on “The Pivot” podcast.“I want a place that loves ball.
That’s all I’ve heard about Chicago so far, which is exciting for me.”Williams was seen as a future No.1 overall pick since he arrived as a prized recruit at Oklahoma and unseated starter Spencer Rattler.
He won the 2022 Heisman Trophy after following head coach Lincoln Riley to USC and finished his three-year college career with a 66.9 percent comple...