With rookies and quarterbacks set to arrive at Chicago Bears training camp on Saturday July 19, it was looking for much of the week like 2nd Round pick Luther Burden III would potentially be holding out in hopes of securing a fully-guaranteed deal. On Friday morning, as fellow 2nd Round picks Ozzy Trapilo and Shemar Turner signed their deals, Burden still hadn’t signed on the dotted line.
However, at the eleventh hour on Friday afternoon, the former All-SEC wideout from Missouri and the Bears reached an agreement on a four-year, $10.96 million deal that is fully guaranteed. For a moment, put aside whatever you feel about the optics of Burden’s holdout or the decision to offer a fully guaranteed contract to a 2nd round pick, and instead, just exhale and rejoice… a player who is sure to become a key piece in Ben Johnson’s offense will be in camp when camp begins.
Luther Burden Projects to Be WR3, Weapon in Slot
With DJ Moore and Rome Odunze returning, the top two spots for receivers on Chicago’s depth chart figure are not up for grabs, but it’s not only possible that Luther Burden will be in the mix as the third wideout in Chicago, it’s expected, and even further, it’s likely what the Bears were envisioning when they selected Burden with the 39th overall pick.
Burden should slide naturally into the slot, giving the Bears a dynamic, Deebo Samuel-esque weapon who has the skillset to be used all over the formation in all sorts of unique ways. Given what we’ve seen Ben Johnson do in Detroit, there’s a world where Luther Burden III is immediately a game-changing piece of a suddenly dynamic Bears offense.
Luther Burden Looks Forward to Caleb Williams Partnership
Burden’s presence at Bears camp on July 19 will be a huge boost for Caleb Williams, who is entering his second year as the starting quarterback in Chicago. Shortly after Burden was selected 39th overall by the Bears this past April, he was predictably asked about his impending partnership with the former Heisman Trophy winner.
Unsurprisingly, Burden expressed excitement about the prospect of playing alongside the 1st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. More surprisingly, he told reporters that in 2021, he and Williams were nearly teammates at the University of Oklahoma.
“I know a lot about him (Williams), me and him were supposed to be teammates before, but the world works in mysterious ways,” Burden said of Williams back in April. “I’m excited to finally unite with him and get to work. I definitely followed his career, I watched a lot of his game, he was the No. 1 pick, I’m definitely a big fan of him and I’m excited to get to work with him.”
Better late than never, right?
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