Bears Have Set Themselves Up With Nice Options At Wide Receiver
Ryan Poles, the Bears’ general manager, couldn’t get his pick in quick enough after the Atlanta Falcons chose to take quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall selection in the draft. He was hoping the Falcons wouldn’t trade it to a team looking to add a wide receiver, and they didn’t.
Poles had long ago placed the University of Washington’s Rome Odunze atop his wish list. Not only did he like everything about the 6-3 wide receiver, he didn’t want to worry about who would be catching passes from Caleb Williams after the 2025 season.
The Bears have an enviable trio of receivers set for Williams’ rookie season, with Keenan Allen and Odunze joining holdover D.J. Moore. But Allen is eligible for free agency after next season and Moore could follow him onto the market in two years.
Poles anticipated it would be increasingly difficult to sign proven wide receivers to long-term contracts, and the recent signings of Justin Jefferson, Jaylon Waddle and Amon-Ra St. Brown have only underscored that point.
Jefferson’s four-year extension with Minnesota came at $35 million a year for four years, the most ever for a receiver. In terms of total value, it matched the five-year deal that Davante Adams received when he left Green Bay for Las Vegas two seasons ago.
Waddle settled for a three-year extension with Miami, which already had Tyreek Hill on a four-year, $120 million contract. Waddle, with his $84.75 million contract, will receive only $1.75 million per year less than Hill. St. Brown got his own four-year, $120 million deal from Detroit in April.
