Caleb Williams likely to join Chicago Bears after Justin Fields gets traded away

Caleb Williams can very reasonably conclude that he is headed for Chicago.

Would the Chicago Bears manage to unload Justin Fields and welcome aboard Caleb Williams? Would they get a reasonable return for him instead of being stuck and possibly being forced to hang onto the quarterback who clearly needs a career reset? People were beginning to wonder if the Bears had vastly overestimated the trade market for Fields, thinking he would fetch a significant level of value when the market for him was actually much cooler than they expected.

Now we don’t have to wait any longer. The topic which has been discussed for a long time has now been put to bed. The Bears have parted with Fields, which means that barring a highly unlikely series of events — specifically a trade proposal so audacious the Bears have to consider it — the Chicago NFL franchise will pick Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall selection in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft in late April.

Bears Wire has more on the Fields trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers:

“According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Chicago receives a 2025 sixth-round pick that turns into a fourth-round pick based on play time.”

That’s not nearly as much of a return as the Bears were hoping for, but clearing the deck so that Caleb Williams could come to the Windy City was obviously a priority for the organization and its front office. The speculation can end. Now Caleb Williams can confidently prepare for the start of his NFL career with the Bears.

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Two USC football stars are together on Jets’ offensive line: Tyron Smith and Alijah Vera-Tucker

Tyron Smith and Alijah Vera-Tucker are now on the same offensive line in New York. They can share USC stories.

The New York Jets’ acquisition of Tyron Smith unites the future Pro Football Hall of Famer with another USC Trojan in the Big Apple. Alijah Vera-Tucker and Smith will now be teammates and fellow offensive linemen, tasked with protecting Aaron Rodgers in New York.

Jets Wire wrote about this:

“Smith played 847 snaps in 2023, or 72 percent of the Cowboys’ total snaps on offense, but played only 271 snaps in 2022 and only 60 percent of snaps in 2021. Since 2015, Smith has missed 49 games.

“The addition of Smith now solidifies the Jets’ starting offensive line. With Smith at left tackle, he will have recently signed John Simpson at left guard. Joe Tippmann will be the center, with Alijah Vera-Tucker at right guard and Morgan Moses at right tackle.”

It will be exciting to see two Trojans together on one of the most interesting teams in the NFL this coming season. If Aaron Rodgers can stay healthy, the Jets might have a chance to do something significant in 2024. We will all be watching this team and its USC linemen.

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Former USC great Tyron Smith leaves Dallas Cowboys, signs with New York Jets

Tyron Smith will now protect Aaron Rodgers in New York.

Former USC Trojan and Dallas Cowboys legend Tyron Smith, who recently became a free agent this NFL offseason, has signed to the New York Jets to a reported one-year deal, according to Adam Schefter.

The 33-year-old offensive tackle is in his 14th season. Smith is an eight-time Pro Bowler who will now try to protect Aaron Rodgers coming off a torn achilles that ended his season on the first play of the 2023 campaign.

Smith himself has missed at least three games every season since 2016. He played only two games in 2020 and four in 2022.

Jets Wire has more on this story:

“Smith, a four-time All-Pro, will immediately slot in as the Jets’ starting left tackle, where he has spent most of his career. Last season, Smith allowed only one sack and 18 regular-season pressures. He ranked fifth in pass-blocking efficiency and was PFF’s top-graded pass-blocking tackle.

“Smith has been an incredibly steady force at one of the game’s most important positions. In fact, you have to go all the way back to the 2017 season to find the last time that Smith surrendered more than two sacks in a season, and on two occasions during that span, he didn’t allow any.”

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Sam Darnold adds to the group of USC Vikings in Minnesota

The Vikings drafted two USC Trojans a year ago. Now they’re adding an older Trojan. “USC North” lives in Minnesota.

The USC Trojans. The Minnesota Vikings. The USC Vikings. The Minnesota Trojans. Can anyone tell the difference now? More USC football players continue to move to Minneapolis. Sam Darnold, who has agreed to a deal with the Vikings, will join Jordan Addison and Mekhi Blackmon in Minnesota. This adds to the numbers of USC football stars who will wear purple and a Viking horn helmet in the NFL.

Here’s Vikings Wire on Sam Darnold:

“Is he good enough to be a starting quarterback long term? The talent has always been there and maybe Kevin O’Connell can extract it out of Darnold.”

That is the big question for the Vikings, whose NFL draft plans now become a bigger point of focus. Will the Vikings make a move to draft a quarterback in the first round? Will they try to trade up in the draft for that quarterback? Justin Jefferson, their best receiver, has shown indications he might want to leave. If that is the case, the Vikings might have to pursue a receiver, not a quarterback, in the draft. One wonders what Darnold discussed with the Vikings in the process of agreeing to a deal. At any rate, Darnold will be a teammate of Jordan Addison, and it would be fun to see them work together as a quarterback-receiver combo for the USC — or rather, Minnesota — Vikings.

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USC’s Drake London is a big winner in Kirk Cousins’ move to Falcons

Drake London should score a lot more touchdowns now that Kirk Cousins is throwing him passes in Atlanta.

On Monday, NFL free agency movements began to occur in large numbers, even though contracts won’t become official until Wednesday, March 13, the formal start of free agency. The biggest story of the day was the Atlanta Falcons’ acquisition of Kirk Cousins. The free agent quarterback left the Minnesota Vikings, and he got paid. Cousins negotiated a four-year deal worth a whopping $180 million, as noted by Falcons Wire.

Here’s a snippet from Falcons Wire:

“Cousins, 35, is a major improvement over both Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke. The veteran quarterback should solidify what was undoubtedly the team’s biggest question mark going into the offseason, although he can’t sign his contract until March 13 when the new league year officially begins.”

Cousins is certainly an upgrade from the Falcons’ previous quarterbacks. One of the Falcons who wins big in this development is wide receiver Drake London, the former USC Trojan. He now gets a much better quarterback who will be able to deliver an accurate ball to him in all areas of the field on all kinds of routes. Crucially, Cousins should be much better than Ridder in the red zone. That was the area of the field where Ridder was awful in 2023.

Drake London should score a lot more touchdowns with the Falcons.

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USC’s Michael Pittman Jr. inks three-year extension with Indianapolis Colts

Michael Pittman signs that all-important second contract, a sign of his NFL staying power.

The Indianapolis Colts are finalizing a three-year, $70 million deal with Michael Pittman, Jr., according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and NFL.com.

Rapoport notes it will be a three-year deal with a base value of $70 million. $46 million of that total is guaranteed, and Pittman could earn up to $71.5 million. This deal will take the place of his $21.8 million franchise tag.

Colts Wire has more on this story involving Pittman.

The USC Trojan legend was a second-round pick for the Colts in 2020. He will be entering his fourth year with the team in 2024. He had a career year last season, with highs in receptions (109) and yards (1,152). He hauled in four touchdowns.

In his career, he has 336 receptions for 3,662 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.

The Colts secured the No. 1 target for franchise quarterback Anthony Richardson. Given the overall makeup of their receiver corps, they could use a second high-end receiver to put on the other side of the field opposite Pittman. The Colts have the No. 15 pick and might want to trade up into the top eight. Why the top eight and not the top nine? The Chicago Bears are at No. 9 and are highly unlikely to give up that pick, given the need to draft an elite receiver such as Rome Odunze for Caleb Williams. If the Colts want Odunze, they probably have to move in front of the Bears, hence the top eight.

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Minnesota Vikings sign former USC Trojan Sam Darnold

Darnold quickly found a home once Kirk Cousins left for the Atlanta Falcons.

The San Francisco 49ers’ 2024 quarterback room won’t include veteran Sam Darnold. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Minnesota Vikings are signing Darnold to a one-year deal worth $10 million, a move that has been predicted for a while. The contract can become official on Wednesday, at the start of the new league year.

Darnold will try to help fill the void left by Kirk Cousins’ departure. The veteran quarterback signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons, as noted by Vikings Wire.

The former first-round pick out of USC spent the 2023 season as the San Francisco 49ers’ backup to Brock Purdy. He ended up going 28-for-46 for 297 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in 10 games played (one start).

Adding Darnold to the mix as a stopgap starter does seem to make sense. Minnesota boasts the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The Vikings may have to make a trade up from No. 12 to select a elite quarterback with that pick. Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and J.J. McCarthy will likely all be gone, leaving them with Bo Nix, Michal Penix Jr. or Spencer Rattler as the next tier of quarterbacks if they don’t trade up.

Vikings Wire has more on Sam Darnold.

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Chris Simms: Caleb Williams is in a class of his own

USC fans who saw Chris Simms talk about Caleb Williams loved it. If you haven’t seen it, you’ll enjoy it.

Chris Simms was part of the Pro Football Talk interview of Caleb Williams at the NFL combine not that long ago. We covered that interview and PFT’s love of Caleb Williams.

It’s clear that Chris Simms is a big fan of Caleb Williams. You will therefore love this video, in which Simms elaborates more on why he thinks Caleb will succeed in the NFL. USC fans should get a lot of enjoyment from this.

We’re all waiting — along with Chris Simms — for the Chicago Bears to trade Justin Fields or make the decision to keep him. The Bears have to make that choice before we know where Caleb Williams will begin his NFL career. The Bears had said a few weeks ago that they would try to deal Fields before the start of NFL free agency. The clock is ticking. There is a sense from some in the NFL community that the trade market for Fields is cold, and that the Bears aren’t getting anything close to the return they expected or hoped for. If that is true, the Bears could reconsider their plans, if indeed they previously wanted to deal Fields. We will see what happens with Caleb Williams.

For now, enjoy Chris Simms discussing the USC superstar:

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Should the Commanders do whatever it takes to acquire Caleb Williams?

Are the Bears hesitating and reconsidering their Justin Fields approach? That could open the door for the Commanders.

Should the Washington Commanders give the Chicago Bears a massive deal in order to trade up to the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft?

Commanders Wire offered this insight:

“The Bears have the No. 1 overall pick for the second consecutive year, thanks to a one-sided trade with the Carolina Panthers. Last year, the Bears moved down and acquired multiple picks, including No. 1 this year and star wide receiver D.J. Moore, and the Panthers chose Bryce Young over C.J. Stroud. Meanwhile, the Bears were content to allow Justin Fields to continue to develop heading into his third NFL season.

“Was it the right decision? We shall see. But the Bears have a chance for redemption if they have questions on Fields. And there are plenty of reasons to question if Fields has shown enough.”

The Bears have not yet traded Fields, however, leaving the door open for the Bears to keep him and trade the No. 1 pick. We can question what the Bears should do, but if the Commanders sense hesitancy and uncertainty in the Bears, they will have the chance to pounce and make a deal the Bears will agree to.

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ESPN’s Pat McAfee evaluates Caleb Williams’ NFL draft stock after the combine

How high Caleb’s draft stock has risen is a relevant topic only if the Bears haven’t made up their minds.

ESPN personality Pat McAfee explored how much Caleb Williams changed his NFL draft value — if at all — at the NFL combine this past weekend. One could say that the issue might already be irrelevant. If the Chicago Bears have already made their mind up that they want to take Caleb at No. 1, there’s no point in discussing Caleb’s perceived draft value. If, however, the Bears either haven’t made up their mind or are at least fielding potential trade offers (but knowing they need a massive offer to even consider a trade), then the topic of Caleb’s draft stock still means something.

The Bears might be firm in knowing what they want, but they do have to trade Justin Fields and clear space for Caleb Williams. Until that trade is executed and finalized, there will be some uncertainty surrounding Caleb and the Bears. Once Justin Fields gets traded, then everyone can fully prepare for the Caleb era in Chicago.

In terms of Caleb’s draft stock, there’s only so much that an interview can achieve. Caleb Williams will throw passes at USC’s pro day on Wednesday, March 20. If the Bears haven’t made a final decision by March 19 — and have not traded Fields by then as well — USC’s pro day might represent a final, important moment for the Bears.

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