Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is favored to win the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award this season.
Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, is a +135 favorite to win the award at DraftKings.com, making him easily the top choice among bettors.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick, is also No. 2 in rookie of the year odds. Daniels is listed at +650.
The fourth overall pick, Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., is at +700, followed by Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy at +1200, Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers at +1700, Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy at +1800, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix at +1800 and Patriots quarterback Drake Maye at +2200.
Among the extreme long shots is Falcons quarterback Michael Penix at +6000. Although Penix was selected with the eighth overall pick, he’s only expected to play this season if Kirk Cousins gets injured. Penix winning rookie of the year would be almost as big a shock as Penix’s draft selection in the first place.
The Bears signed fifth-round defensive end Austin Booker, the team announced Thursday.
The Bears acquired the No. 144 pick they spent on Booker from the Bills in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round selection.
Booker played at Kansas, appearing in 12 games last season. He played six games at the University of Minnesota in 2022.
He played sparingly for the Golden Gophers but totaled 56 tackles, eight sacks and 12 tackles for loss for the Jayhawks in 2023 and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors.
Booker is the third of the Bears’ five draft picks to sign. Third-round offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie and fourth-round punter Tory Taylor previously signed their four-year contracts.
The two unsigned picks are first-round quarterback Caleb Williams and first-round receiver Rome Odunze.
This year’s Hall of Fame Game will air on ESPN and ABC, the league announced today.
The annual kickoff to the preseason features the Bears and Texans this year, in recognition of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 featuring former Bears Devin Hester, Steve McMichael and Julius Peppers, plus former Texan Andre Johnson.
The Monday Night Football broadcasting team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will call the game. It will be the first time ESPN has broadcast the Hall of Fame Game, but the game aired on ABC from 1971 to 2005.
The game kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 1 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
Among the scheduling quirks NFL fans look for when the schedule is released each year is which teams have been scheduled to play three straight road games come the fall.
There are four teams who have such stretches on their schedule during the 2024 season. The Bills, Browns, Bears, and Vikings will all find themselves on the road for three consecutive weeks.
Buffalo will be on the road to face the Ravens on a Sunday night in Week Four and they’ll face another playoff team in Week Five in Houston. The road trip wraps up with a Monday night game against the Jets and they’ll play five of their first eight on the road as they’ll be in Miami in Week Two and Seattle in Week Eight.
The Browns will also be on the road in Weeks Four, Five and Six. They’ll play the Raiders, Commanders, and Eagles during their extended road stretch.
Chicago’s run comes later in the season. They’ll face the Lions on Thanksgiving and get some extra time off before heading out to face the 49ers in Week 14. The Bears will then head back to face the Vikings on Monday night in Week 15.
A Vikings-Bears game will also cap the Vikings’ own run of three straight on the road. They’ll be in Chicago in Week 12 after visiting the Jaguars and Titans on the previous two Sundays.
The Caleb Williams era is set to get underway at Soldier Field on September 8.
The NFL unveiled the schedule for the 2024 season on Wednesday night and it shows that the Bears will be at Week One. The Titans will be their opponent in the head coaching debut for Brian Callahan.
Williams was the first overall pick in the draft and he has already been anointed as the No. 1 quarterback for the Bears, so injury would seem to be the only thing that would get in the way of Williams being on the field against Tennessee. The game should also feature the Bears debuts of wide receivers Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze in an offense being put together by offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
Assuming all goes according to plan, Williams will make his primetime debut in Week Two when the Bears travel to Houston for a Sunday night game. A matchup with 2023 first overall pick Bryce Young is on tap for a Week Five home game and Week Eight could pit Williams against 2024 second overall pick Jayden Daniels in a visit to Washington.
Other highlights for Williams’s rookie year are a Week Six trip to face the Jaguars in London, a Thanksgiving trip to Detroit and a Week 15 Monday night game in Minnesota that could also feature first-round pick J.J. McCarthy at quarterback for the Vikings.