Bears Sitting Starters For Thursday’s Hall Of Fame Game

According to Adam Jahns, the Bears will be sitting their starters for the Hall of Fame game, including QB Caleb Williams.

This means QB Tyson Bagent will get the start in Thursday’s preseason opener instead of the first-overall pick Williams.

Williams, 22, was a top recruit who won the starting job at Oklahoma midway through his first season. He transferred to USC to follow HC Lincoln Riley and started two seasons for the Trojans, winning the Heisman trophy in 2022. 

Lance Zierlein compares him to Kyler Murray. 

The No. 1 overall pick is projected to sign a four-year, $38,540,872 contract that includes a $24,849,725 signing bonus and will carry a $7,007,431 cap figure for the 2024 season. The contract includes a fifth-year option for the Bears to pick up for the 2028 season. 

During his three-year college career, Williams completed 66.9 percent of his pass attempts for 10,082 yards, 93 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in 37 games. He added 966 yards rushing and 27 touchdowns on the ground.