HEADLINES

Caleb Williams

Bears Name Caleb Williams Starting QB

May 10th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Given the makeup of the Bears’ quarterback depth chart, Caleb Williams beginning his career on the sideline never appeared a realistic possibility. Matt Eberflus dispensed with any mystery on this front Friday.

Eberflus confirmed the No. 1 overall pick is the Bears’ starting quarterback. Seeing as the Bears traded three-year starter Justin Fields for an underwhelming return and have not added a veteran who would make sense as even a short bridge to Williams, this was the widely expected plan in Chicago.

Entering mid-May, Chicago’s QB room consists of Williams, 2023 UDFA Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien and 2024 UDFA Austin Reed. Bailey Zappe‘s successor at Western Kentucky, Reed adds to the non-Power 5 theme behind Williams. Bagent hails from Division II Shepherd, Rypien from Boise State.

Rypien carries by far the most experience in this group, having come into the league in 2019. But he spent time with three teams (the Rams, Seahawks and Jets) last season. Rypien’s start in place of Matthew Stafford against the Packers went poorly enough the Rams cut him soon after and reached an agreement to end Carson Wentz‘s lengthy free agency stay. Rypien, 27, is tied to a one-year, $1.13MM deal with no guarantees. Bagent did go 2-2 as a starter in place of Fields last season but finished his midseason run with three touchdown passes, six interceptions and a 6.0 yards-per-attempt number.

The other five teams to draft first-round QBs have potential starters via veteran pieces added this offseason. Marcus Mariota looms as Commanders insurance against Jayden Daniels needing a bit of time to develop, while Jacoby Brissett looks to have a better chance to be the Patriots’ bridge to Drake Maye. Kirk Cousins will, barring a snag in his rehab from Achilles surgery, be the Falcons’ starter over Michael Penix Jr. this season. Sam Darnold should have a good shot to hold off J.J. McCarthy to open the season. Bo Nix making a Division I-FBS QB-record 61 starts and being 24 points to the No. 12 overall pick being an early-season starter in Denver, but the Broncos have both Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson as possible placeholders.

Williams started each of his three college seasons, unseating Spencer Rattler at Oklahoma in 2021 and following Lincoln Riley to USC. Williams’ 2022 Heisman season placed him atop this year’s prospect lists — to the point the pre-draft rumors centered around the action that would take place after the Bears chose the Trojans standout. Although the Bears used first-round picks on QBs three times this century (Rex Grossman, Mitchell Trubisky, Fields) and traded two first-rounders (and more) for Jay Cutler, Williams’ debut will be easily the most anticipated start by a Bears passer in decades (if not ever).

Bears Draft Caleb Williams First Overall

April 25th, 2024 at 7:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

As expected, the Bears have kicked off the 2024 draft by adding their quarterback of the present and future. Chicago has selected Caleb Williams with the first overall pick.

The 2022 Heisman winner entered the past campaign in pole position to be the first player off the board. His highly productive campaign that year – upon following Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma to USC – led to massive expectations and many evaluators deeming him a generational prospect. While the Trojans did not have a stellar showing in 2023 and Williams’ statistical output (both in the air and on the ground) regressed slightly, he has long remained the favorite for the No. 1 slot.

The Bears acquired Carolina’s first-round pick as part of last year’s blockbuster deal which delivered Bryce Young to the Panthers. Now, Chicago general manager Ryan Poles has taken advantage of the 2024 draft’s top choice to add a replacement for Justin Fields. The latter spent the past three years at the helm of Chicago’s offense, and he entered 2023 as a critical evaluation period. With the Bears still struggling to move the ball through the air and Fields failing to show tangible signs of improvement, Poles and Co. elected to start over at the QB spot.

Following through on the stated goal of “doing right by” Fields, Chicago dealt the 2021 first-rounder to the Steelers in March. That swap yielded less compensation than what other teams are believed to have been willing to offer, but it allowed Fields to go to his preferred destination. It also, of course, cleared the way for Poles to draft his own franchise QB in his third season in charge.

Williams’ pre-draft process was not seen as the greatest amongst 2024 quarterbacks, and some teams reportedly have Jayden Daniels ranked as the class’ top signal-caller. Chicago only hosted one QB prospect this spring, though, and Williams in turn only met in-person with one potential employer. Team and player can now officially move forward with a relationship which has long been foreshadowed.

The Bears’ offense has seen a number of changes this offseason, including the hiring of new OC Shane Waldron. Chicago has also signed running back D’Andre Swift and traded for wideout Keenan Allen, adding those players to a skill-position corps already featuring D.J Moore and Cole Kmet. That unit may see another notable move made at a pass-catching position or along the offensive line with the No. 9 pick.

Williams will thus enter a situation where he will not need to be as much of a catalyst as he was with the Trojans. If things go according to plan, though, he will provide Chicago with a long-term solution under center and thus fill a massive organizational need.

Draft Rumors: Williams, Bears, Fashanu, Latham, Bolts, Bowers, Seahawks, Murphy

April 25th, 2024 at 3:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Pass rusher and wide receiver have been mentioned most often as the Bears‘ targets at No. 9 overall. Though, the player who will almost definitely be chosen at No. 1 (Caleb Williams) in a few hours seems to have Chicago’s D-line ranked outside the top two among his positional priorities here.

“I’d probably go Olu Fashanu because I know he’d put his life on the line for me, protecting me,” Williams said, via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith. “Then I’d go one of the top three wide receivers.”

A Penn State-developed tackle, Fashanu played high school football (at Gonzaga College HS in Washington D.C.) with Williams. That makes it unsurprising the 2022 Heisman winner would stump for his old teammate. The Bears are believed to have a tackle addition on their radar for No. 9, with GM Ryan Poles splitting his staff into pods debating the merits of taking a tackle, edge rusher or wide receiver with that pick. Chicago looks to have done more work on wideouts and pass rushers, being linked to adding a weapon — potentially Rome Odunze or tight end Brock Bowers — for Williams. The team has Braxton Jones and 2023 No. 10 overall pick Darnell Wright at tackle. Fashanu grades 15th on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board.

Hours away from Williams starting this draft, here is the latest:

Latest On Bears’ Interest In Caleb Williams

April 18th, 2024 at 10:01pm CST by Ben Levine

While recent reports indicated that Caleb Williams isn’t the unanimous QB1 prospect across the NFL, the Bears are leaving no doubt about their trust in the projected top-overall pick. As Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes, the Bears believe there is a “pretty wide gap” between the USC product and the rest of the quarterback class.

The 2022 Heisman winner has long been regarded as the top passer in the 2024 class. After the Bears secured the first-overall selection, the team quickly ripped off the band-aid and avoided a QB controversy by dealing Justin Fields. That trade all but confirmed that the organization was going to select a rookie QB.

However, the team has yet to reveal which QB they’ll select. There’s little incentive to reveal their choice early, but as Biggs notes, that’s led to some speculation that the team could pursue a move down the draft board.

Before the Bears settled their QB depth chart, the Commanders looked like they could be a landing spot for Williams. That move would have sent Williams back to the area in which he went to high school at Gonzaga College HS, and it would have reunited him with college coach Kliff Kingsbury.

If the Bears wanted to pick up even more assets and still snag a top quarterback prospect, a trade with the Commanders could have made sense. However, if the Bears believe there’s a significant drop in talent at the position after Williams, there isn’t any amount of trade assets that would make up that gap.

There seemed to be some cracks in Williams’ consensus number-one ranking earlier this week. There were some rumblings that teams have graded LSU’s Jayden Daniels over the USC QB, with some organizations believing the prospect had an underwhelming pre-draft process. While most teams seemed to understand that this was a “byproduct of being a player who knows he’s going No. 1,” Williams didn’t look as invincible atop the draft board as he once did.

QB Prospect Notes: Williams, Patriots, Commanders, Giants

April 16th, 2024 at 8:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Caleb Williams is still expected to hear his name called first during next week’s draft, but the USC quarterback didn’t make the best impression on teams during the pre-draft process. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Williams’ interviews with teams were described as “good, not great” and “just OK.”

As Fowler notes, Williams declined medical exams and only did a handful of interviews, where he didn’t show the same poise and preparation as his fellow QB prospects. Naturally, some teams assumed this was a “byproduct of being a player who knows he’s going No. 1.” While Williams’ pre-draft strategy wasn’t considered a personality red flag by scouts, one AFC executive believes Williams left the door open for the Bears to pivot.

“I don’t think he’s had a great spring,” the executive told Fowler. “He’s still going first. That’s pretty much a done deal. But while he was a no-brainer three months ago, there’s at least a conversation now. Even still, I think he’s a smart kid, a good kid. He just knows where he’s going.”

Perhaps partly due to Williams’ offseason showing, there are some coaches who have actually graded LSU’s Jayden Daniels over the USC QB, per Adam Caplan of ProFootballNetwork.com. Of course, the only opinion that matters belongs to the Bears, but this recent grading adjustment at least leads Caplan to surmise that Daniels will be selected ahead of North Carolina’s Drake Maye.

While Maye is an underdog to be selected in the top-two, it’s no longer a guarantee that he’s even chosen with the third-overall pick. As Albert Breer of SI.com notes, there’s a “healthy debate” in New England between Maye and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. While there’s still a chance the Patriots trade out of the No. 3 spot in pursuit of future picks, Breer believes owner Robert Kraft “views this as a rare chance to get a quarterback at this level.” The organization has certainly made it clear they’re eyeing all of the top-tier prospects, as the Patriots have met with Daniels, Maye, and McCarthy.

Washington is currently sitting with the second-overall pick, and they’ve been equally active in scouting QB prospects. Interestingly, the team will be hosting all of Daniels, Maye, McCarthy, and Washington’s Michael Penix for their top-30 visits at the same time, per Breer. This stems from GM Adam Peters‘ experience from San Francisco, where the 49ers would bring in groupings of prospects to see how they interact with peers.

With the Cardinals and Chargers likely out of the running for a top QB prospect, the Giants are next in line at the position behind Chicago, Washington, and New England. There’s been recent buzz that the Giants could look to move up (per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post) or even move back (per Fowler, via WBG84), but either way, it’s pretty clear the organization is targeting a signal-caller.

Dan Duggan of The Athletic believes the Giants are high enough on Maye that they’d swing a trade up the draft board. The writer also believes the organization isn’t enamored with McCarthy, perhaps necessitating a trade back if the Michigan QB is there at No. 6. If the Giants do end up trading back, Duggan could see a scenario where the team is actively pursuing Penix or Oregon’s Bo Nix in the back half of the first round.

Bears Host QB Caleb Williams, DE Dallas Turner, T Tyler Guyton

April 4th, 2024 at 8:51am CST by Adam La Rose

As the draft continues to draw closer, NFL teams are turning their attention to visits with prospects on their radar. In the case of the Bears, that process included a trio of noteworthy names in position to be selected at or near the top of the board meeting with the team.

[RELATED: Bears To Host WR Rome Odunze]

Quarterback Caleb Williams was among the prospects which met with Chicago on Wednesday, as noted by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. That comes as no surprise, as the 2022 Heisman winner has long been the presumed selection at No. 1 overall. Especially with Justin Fields having been traded, Williams is on track to hear his name called first and immediately take on starting duties for the Bears.

Breer adds that Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner and Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton also met with the Bears’ brass yesterday. The former is widely regarded as the top prospect at his position in the 2024 class, one which is generally dominated at the top of the board by players on the offensive side of the ball. Turner – who won the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 2023 to go along with first-team All-American honors – is firmly on the top-10 radar.

Turner has already been linked to the Falcons, a team in need of edge rush help. Atlanta owns the eighth overall pick, while Chicago’s second selection is set at No. 9. In the event Turner were to make it past the Falcons, he would could be a reasonable target for a Bears defense seeking to find a complement for 2023 trade acquisition Montez Sweat. The latter is attached to the four-year, $98MM deal he signed upon arrival in the Windy City, so a starter-level addition on their rookie contract would be a financially sound one on the part of the Bears.

Guyton, meanwhile, is one of many offensive tackles which have been expected to come off the board some time in Round 1. Some prospects at the position have received better evaluations, but the former TCU transfer possesses intriguing athletic upside. Guyton played all-but exclusively at right tackle with the Sooners, a position which the Bears addressed during the first round of last year’s draft (Darnell Wright). Guyton could be viewed as a developmental option capable of transitioning to the blindside, though.

While the Bears control the very top of the board, their decision at No. 9 will of course be dictated in part by those of the teams around them in the order. Their evaluation of potential targets over the next few days could signal their intentions with the first post-Williams selection.

Latest On Bears, QB Caleb Williams

March 22nd, 2024 at 2:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

Prior to Justin Fields being dealt, the expectation around the league was that Ryan Poles would move on from the former first-rounder in a deal paving the way for Caleb Williams to be selected. With the first of those two decisions having been made, the second is even more likely.

Fields was dealt to the Steelers after teams around the league did not show the interest in him Poles was expecting. The 25-year-old preferred to go to Pittsburgh, where he is currently slated to serve as the backup to Russell Wilson. Parting ways with Fields confirms Chicago will add a passer in April’s draft, one in which the teams owns the first and ninth overall picks.

ESPN’s Courtney Cronin and Brooke Pryor confirm “all signs point” to Williams being the first to hear his name called on draft night. The 2022 Heisman winner has long been regarded as the top passer in the 2024 class (although the gap between he and the Drake Maye–Jayden Daniels duo has closed to an extent in the eyes of some draft analysts). Williams is open to joining the Bears as their rebuild aims to take its next step.

Chicago was originally set to host the USC product on a ’30’ visit right after the combine, but Sports Illustrated Albert Breer notes the team changed that plan. Now, the Bears will conduct the visit following Williams’ Pro Day, which took place on Wednesday. To no surprise, the Bears were among the teams well represented at that event.

Poles and Co. will conduct a final evaluation in the near future before finalizing a decision at the QB spot. Expectations for the team’s offense – a unit which now features the likes of Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift and Gerald Everett at the skill positions – will be high in 2024, particularly if Williams is installed as the the starter during his rookie season. Other teams have done their homework on the latter as well, of course, but it remains unlikely he will be available for the Commanders or Patriots with the second and third selections.

As Adam Jahns of The Athletic notes, the Bears joined several other NFL teams in sending a “large contingent” to watch J.J. McCarthy at Michigan’s Pro Day on Friday. Chicago’s due diligence at the QB spot has thus included evaluations of a number of options, but especially with Fields no longer in the fold it would come as a major surprise at this point if Williams were playing outside the Windy City in 2024.

Giants Meet With Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy; Team Conducts Three WR Visits

March 20th, 2024 at 10:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Facing a pivotal decision with their latest top-10 draft choice, the Giants are beginning the next phase of their intelligence-gathering process. It is that time of year; “30” visits are underway. And the Giants have two clear paths they could take.

The big-picture approach points to the team staying in the mix to trade up for a quarterback. On that note, the team began its face-to-face meetings last week. Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy visited the Giants, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer.

While it would bring a borderline-radical about-face for the Giants to move up for a passer a year after giving Daniel Jones a four-year, $160MM extension, the contract’s structure and the team’s managerial setup point to the scenario being live. The Giants can escape the Jones contract with barely $10MM in dead money — in the event of a post-June 1 release — next year, and while this regime paid Jones, it did not draft him. Rumblings about the Giants being interested in a passer have persisted this offseason, with McCarthy emerging as a potential target.

Yes, we are entering prime smokescreen season, but McCarthy’s stock has undeniably climbed since his low-octane but hyper-efficient Michigan season wrapped. The Vikings have been linked to the Michigan product, with Daniel Jeremiah’s latest NFL.com mock draft sending Minnesota to No. 4 for McCarthy, which would be that franchise’s first top-10 quarterback pick ever. The Giants, who have been around considerably longer, have made five such investments. In the common draft era (1967-present), New York has chosen three QBs in the top 10 — Phil Simms, Eli Manning, Jones — and faces a more action-packed market thanks to Minnesota’s recent trade with Houston.

Even prior to the Vikings acquiring a second first-round pick from the Texans, Jeremiah mentioned a “strong” expectation within the NFL points to four QBs going off the board in the top six. Seeing as the Giants hold the No. 6 pick, that rumor would stand to tie closely to the team’s interest in grabbing a Jones successor with this draft real estate. While GM Joe Schoen attended Caleb Williams‘ USC pro day Wednesday, the Bears are widely expected to begin the draft with the 2022 Heisman winner.

Maye has held his spot as a passer likely to land in the top three, with Jeremiah mocking Sam Howell‘s North Carolina successor to Washington at No. 2. More buzz has connected the Commanders to Jayden Daniels, with Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest ESPN mock keeping Maye on track for New England. The Patriots may have some internal doubts about the ex-Tar Heels starter, inviting intrigue about another team moving up in the event Daniels does go second overall. The Giants would stand to be one of the teams monitoring the Pats’ decision, as the Commanders will be unlikely to trade their No. 2 pick to a division rival when a QB investment is involved.

McCarthy has rocketed up into a likely top-10 investment, participating in the Combine while the draft’s top three passing prospects did not. While the recent national championship-winning QB would be a surprise top-six pick — based on where his stock appeared to be at season’s end — the likes of Carson Wentz, Baker Mayfield and Zach Wilson have brought late QB climbs near the top of the board in recent years. The Giants are certainly investigating Jim Harbaugh‘s final Wolverines starter.

If the dominoes do not fall the Giants’ way regarding a Jones successor, the team is doing work on that end as well. The team brought in Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze for visits earlier this month, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan tweets.

Harrison has generated attention for his pre-draft plan — one not consisting of workouts at the Combine or his pro day, which was held today — but the Ohio State prospect is widely viewed as the best receiver available. Jeremiah and Kiper’s big boards list Harrison as the No. 2 overall prospect, but the former adds it is likely some teams will have Nabers positioned above the second-generation WR talent on draft boards. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler adds Nabers is viewed by some clubs as the draft’s top wideout.

Harrison, Nabers (LSU) and Odunze (Washington) are each mortal locks to be chosen early in the first round. Nabers posted a 1,000-yard season in 2022 but unlocked another level to his game last season, totaling 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns to help Daniels win the Heisman. Nabers’ speed has generated intrigue among teams, though the three-year LSU receiver did not run the 40-yard dash at the Combine.

The QB interest would benefit the Giants on the wideout front, as two of these players could be on the board if a trade-up into the top five occurs. The Giants used a third-round pick on Jalin Hyatt last year and have Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson under contract. But the team has struggled at this position for years, lacking a WR1-level talent since injuries started to impact Odell Beckham Jr. The Giants will have a chance at one of these impact receivers soon, but the QB matter will likely loom until draft night.

Latest On Bears’ Quarterback Situation

March 10th, 2024 at 9:17am CST by Ely Allen

MARCH 10: ESPN’s Dan Graziano says the Bears did not find the trade market for Fields that they were hoping for (subscription required). Chicago, however, is not panicking and is willing to allow other quarterback dominos like Cousins and Mayfield to fall. Once some of the top players in the market find new homes or re-sign with their current clubs, there will still be a few QB-needy teams, at which point the interest in Fields should intensify.

While it now seems unlikely that Fields will fetch a second-round pick in a trade, the expectation remains that the Bears will eventually deal him and use the No. 1 pick on Williams.

MARCH 3: The situation of the Bears‘ future at the quarterback position has become quite a loaded topic. The closer we get to the 2024 NFL Draft, the more likely it’s beginning to seem that Chicago is attempting to move current starter Justin Fields as it prepares to move on to potential No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams.

According to Diana Russini of The Athletic, chatter at the NFL scouting combine appeared to be consistent, with most believing that the Bears are moving on from Fields. Barring the team picking up his fifth-year option, 2024 would be the final year on Fields’ rookie contract. Instead of allowing Fields to play out his contract on the bench behind Williams, Chicago seems intent on dealing the 24-year-old and returning some value for a player they would eventually allow to walk in free agency.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tells us that many in the league see Fields garnering a potential Day 2 pick for his services. A second- or third-round pick may not be the ideal result for a former first-round selection, but it’s better than getting nothing when his rookie deal expires. Fowler names the Falcons, Steelers, Raiders, and Vikings as possible teams of interest in Fields’ acquisition. Atlanta has been repeatedly linked to the young passer lately, with many debating whether or not he is the best fit in a Rams-influenced systems under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. Fowler reports the chances as “fairly good” that the Falcons walk away with either Fields, Kirk Cousins, or Baker Mayfield, leaving a larger range of possibilities for what Atlanta is looking for.

The Bears have made the claim that they want to “do right” by Fields by not leaving him in a “gray area.” Still, having shown their intentions, the team doesn’t necessarily have the strongest bargaining position. Russini poses that the team may need other moves to influence the demand for Fields. She quotes an NFC general manager who explained, “When people know you are getting rid of something, they don’t pay as much for it.” If a few veteran quarterbacks that are also available get moved and decrease the number of options for quarterback-needy teams, a bidding war for Fields may ensue. In order for that to occur, a number of big quarterback names would need to get signed well before the draft.

The draft serves as an effective deadline because once the Bears draft Williams, Fields becomes superfluous, and it’s seeming more and more likely that Williams will be the pick come late-April. At one point, that seemed to be in question as there were rumors that the USC quarterback may force a trade in an effort to avoid playing for the Bears. Williams has since backed down from that notion, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN, expressing excitement and intrigue in the prospect of heading to Chicago.

“I’m not pushing any agenda,” Williams said. “At the end of the day, the Bears have the last say. Regardless of how I feel, I’m not pushing an agenda of, ‘Yeah, I want to go,’ or ‘no, I don’t want to go.’ I’m excited for whatever comes.”

Still, Williams expressed a healthy interest in the Commanders, as well. Getting drafted to Washington would send Williams back to the area in which he went to high school at Gonzaga College HS. While he acknowledged that it would be cool to be so familiar with the area, he emphasized that his job is going to be in the facility working on his game.

There was also thought to be some concern about Williams’ draft-ability after some recent comments from his father, Carl. Carl was the one who suggested that his son would get “two shots at the apple,” according to Kalyn Kahler of The Athletic, essentially suggesting that if the situation as a No. 1 overall pick isn’t favorable, Williams could simply return to school with his NIL deals. The quote from Williams’ father made the rounds, seeding concern in some scouting circles.

Since then, though, it seems the concern has subsided. The more he was put under the microscope, the more Carl appeared just to be a heavily involved father who was extremely invested in helping his child achieve the peaks of his career and abilities. When asked about the situation at the NFL scouting combine, Bears general manager Ryan Poles claimed that he has “no concerns about” Carl’s comments, at all.

So, things appear to be falling into place. The Williams-era seems well on its way to being ushered in, and the Fields-domino will need to fall soon as a result. With free agency set to open in a week and a half, the demand for Fields may soon grow. It’s up to Chicago to find the perfect time to pull the trigger if they ultimately decide to deal Fields.

Raiders Expected To Aggressively Pursue Top-Three Pick

March 5th, 2024 at 10:39pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders have been mentioned as a suitor for one of the draft’s top-three quarterbacks, and the buzz is only getting louder. The Raiders are “expected to be aggressive” in trading up from pick No. 13 in pursuit of a quarterback, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Albert Breer of SI.com passes along a similar sentiment, writing that the Raiders are among the teams inquiring “on a trade-up for a quarterback.”

[RELATED: Raiders Interested In Acquiring No. 1 Overall Pick]

The organization left no stone unturned at last week’s combine, meeting with the majority of the draft’s quarterback prospects. As Bonsignore passes along, the team interviewed a range of QBs, including top prospects like USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, and North Carolina’s Drake Maye. The team is especially enamored with Daniels, who was at Arizona State when Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce was on the staff.

A trade for any of those three quarterbacks would likely require a massive haul; the Bears are reportedly seeking a historic bounty for the No. 1 selection. As a result, the Raiders may need to pivot to one of the second-tier prospects like Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy or Washington’s Michael Penix Jr..

Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic believe one of those non-top-three QBs may be a more reasonable expectation, with the duo writing that a trade into the top-three “may be unrealistic.” Tafur and Reed also pass along that the organization has explored trades into the No. 5 to No. 7 range.

“You have to weigh how bad you want the player and how much you’re giving up,” general manager Tom Telesco said last week. “It’s just a judgment decision. Part of that is we may think we know the player is going to hit, but we really don’t. You never 100 percent know.”

While the quarterback prospects won’t have much (if any) say in their destination, it sounds like the incoming rookies were all impressed by Pierce and the organization.

“What a great job he did this past year,” Maye told Bonsignore. “So much respect for him for earning the respect of the guys.”

Load More Posts