ESPN REPORT: The Chicago Bears Trade 2 Mega-Star And Replace The Ravens
Caleb Williams is highly expected to be the No. 1 pick overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. For that reason, buzz and chatter are running rampant around the Chicago Bears franchise. So much so, that speculation grew that Williams is already in Chicago, however, those rumors appear to be false.
Reports claim that Caleb Williams was spotted leaving a Chase Bank in Highland Park, a well-known suburb of Chicago, per Jon Greenberg of The Athletic. However, Greenberg’s source may have been mistaken, as someone informed The Athletic that Williams is not in Chicago this week.
“Just after lunchtime Thursday afternoon as I was writing a column about Caleb Williams, I received a hot tip from a friend who is a Chicago Bears season ticket holder: Caleb Williams was just spotted at the Chase Bank branch in Highland Park.”
Greenberg’s source was essentially a friend of a friend who claimed to have seen Caleb Williams. The anonymous source claims he even followed the vehicle he believed Williams was inside of. However, that was all for nought, as it was quickly shut down by someone closer to the prospect quarterback.
“A source close to the quarterback told The Athletic’s Kalyn Kahler that Williams wasn’t in town. A Bears official responded to me with a wisecrack about my source also visiting a legal weed dispensary.”
When you have a prospect like Caleb Williams in the NFL Draft, speculation like this is going to fester until the pick is made. At the very least, there were some rumors claiming the prospect quarterback was visiting with the Bears. That very well could be true, but it may have happened at a different time.
With a $19.8 million franchise tag for 2024 and a four-year deal averaging less than that, the contract to which Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson agreed raised eyebrows in league circles.
The truth makes the deal seem better than it did at first blush.
Per a source with knowledge of the terms, Johnson will receive $28 million in 2024 — more than the $19.8 million he was due to receive under the tag.
He’s also due to make another $16 million in 2025; it’s fully-guaranteed. That ensures he’ll receive slightly more than the value of two franchise tags ($19.8 million plus $23.76 million, or $43.56 million).
The tradeoff comes on the back end, where Johnson makes $16 million in 2026 and 2027. That’s what pushes the APY to $19 million.
The four-year contract gets him back to market in 2028. With a cap number of $21 million in 2027, the Bears could tag him the year after the deal expires, at a tender of $25.2 million.
Bottom line? He’s getting more than he would have gotten over the next two years under the tag. He gave up some cash in 2026 and 2027 to make it happen, but with only a four-year deal he should be in line for another significant contract, if he continues to play at a high level.
That said, the deadline for doing a multi-year deal was July 15, and the NFL is a deadline-driven business. Whatever the Bears had on the table now would have at least been that good in July. Maybe better.
Still, Johnson was ready to sign. And sign he did. The Bears keep a great young defensive player for four more years.
