Caleb Williams, Bears shaking up the odds: 'Their ceiling is high if he excels'

While the city of Chicago craves its first Super Bowl trophy in almost 40 years, third-year Bears general manager Ryan Poles is doing everything in his power to lay a strong foundation for sustained success.

It’s one thing to spin the roulette ball and hope for the best every year. It’s another to build your organization around draft picks, shrewd trades and financial flexibility. Perennial contenders tend to outlive one-hit wonders.

Poles’ best move to date was a franchise-altering trade 14 months ago. He shipped the 2023 No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers for two first-rounders, two second-rounders and wide receiver D.J. Moore.

Carolina drafted Bryce Young last year and still finished 2-15, paving the way for Chicago to take generational USC quarterback Caleb Williams first overall and star receiver Rome Odunze from Washington ninth overall this year.

That’s akin to landing Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in the same class.  

"The Bryce Young trade was tremendous for the Bears," Westgate SuperBook executive director John Murray told FOX Sports from Las Vegas.

"Most teams aren’t looking to trade out of No. 1," Murray continued. "The Bears got an offer they couldn’t refuse, and the chips fell their way, so they could draft one of the best quarterback prospects in the last 10 years.

"The best part about having Caleb Williams, though, is that you’ve got a very talented quarterback on a rookie contract. There’s nothing more valuable in the NFL than having a top-level quarterback on a rookie deal."

Take a bow, Ryan Poles.

It also doesn’t take much for Bears fans to get excited about the offense. The team has never had a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards or 30 touchdowns in a single season. Erik Kramer’s 1995 campaign