{"id":811457,"date":"2026-03-14T07:00:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T07:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/811457\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T07:00:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T07:00:17","slug":"why-caleb-williams-and-darnell-wright-are-causing-bears-quiet-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/811457\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Caleb Williams And Darnell Wright Are Causing Bears’ Quiet Free Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chicago Bears<\/a> fans are having a hard time understanding why the team has been rather quiet in free agency this year. They\u2019ve only made two additions that are clearly intended to be starters on the team. The other additions or re-signings are mostly backups or competition for vacant jobs. Meanwhile, other teams haven\u2019t had any issues spending big money trying to upgrade. Los Angeles just traded for Trent McDuffie and handed him a massive contract. Carolina threw the bag at Jaelan Phillips. Even Baltimore took a giant swing at Trey Hendrickson. So why have the Bears, who have cap flexibility, been so careful? Some theorize quarterback Caleb Williams and right tackle Darnell Wright are to blame.<\/p>\n

No, it isn\u2019t them using some kind of political maneuvering to prevent the Bears from throwing money around. Williams has been sending subtle signals that he\u2019d love for the team to keep adding. This is more about the extensions both players have coming, and the cash-strapped owners who will have to give it to them. Bill Zimmerman<\/a> provided compelling evidence for why those two players are forcing the McCaskeys to budget their money.<\/p>\n

Now, think about this aspect. The Bears are about to give Darnell Wright a large contract. It\u2019s probably going to be a 4-year deal worth around $120 million. The Bears are probably going to give him a sizeable signing bonus and guarantee at least half of that contract. When dollars are guaranteed to a player, that money goes in escrow. The cash needs to be available when the contract is signed, even if it doesn\u2019t all go to the player. Not only is George going to have to have a significant amount of cash available for Wright\u2019s extension this summer, but he is going to have to have even more money available to Caleb Williams for his extension in the summer of 2027.<\/p>\n

I am not saying there aren\u2019t any concerns that the Bears can\u2019t afford Caleb Williams, but you best believe that signing two contracts like that in back-to-back seasons is going to impact how the Bears are operating this year.<\/p>\n

Caleb Williams\u2019 success does have a downside.<\/p>\n

The McCaskey family is not poor in the strictest sense of the word. They are billionaires. However, all of that wealth is tied up in the organization. They don\u2019t have additional revenue streams like many other NFL owners do. Based on the latest data available, the McCaskeys are the third-poorest ownership group in the league behind only Art Rooney II in Pittsburgh and the stockholders group in Green Bay. They are worth around $1.3 billion. While that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re unable to budget for big swings in free agency, the unfortunate truth is they face stricter limits than other owners.<\/p>\n

RankOwner(s)TeamNet Worth1Rob Walton & FamilyDenver Broncos$146.0 Billion2Hunt FamilyKansas City Chiefs$24.8 Billion3David TepperCarolina Panthers$23.7 Billion4Stan KroenkeLos Angeles Rams$21.3 Billion5Jerry Jones & FamilyDallas Cowboys$21.3 Billion6Jody AllenSeattle Seahawks$20.3 Billion7Stephen RossMiami Dolphins$17.0 Billion8Woody Johnson & FamilyNew York Jets$16.0 Billion9Shahid KhanJacksonville Jaguars$15.4 Billion10Robert KraftNew England Patriots$13.8 Billion11Arthur BlankAtlanta Falcons$11.1 Billion12Josh HarrisWashington Commanders$10.9 Billion13Glazer FamilyTampa Bay Buccaneers$10.2 Billion14Terry & Kim PegulaBuffalo Bills$9.3 Billion15Jimmy & Dee HaslamCleveland Browns$8.7 Billion16Steve BisciottiBaltimore Ravens$8.5 Billion17Jed York & DeBartolo YorkSan Francisco 49ers$8.4 Billion18Gayle BensonNew Orleans Saints$7.9 Billion19Jeffrey Lurie & FamilyPhiladelphia Eagles$7.6 Billion20Cal McNair & FamilyHouston Texans$7.3 Billion21Mike Brown & FamilyCincinnati Bengals$5.0 Billion22Irsay FamilyIndianapolis Colts$4.8 Billion23Amy Adams StrunkTennessee Titans$2.8 Billion24Mark DavisLas Vegas Raiders$2.5 Billion25Dean Spanos & FamilyL.A. Chargers$2.4 Billion26John Mara \/ Steve TischNew York Giants$2.1 Billion27Sheila Ford HampDetroit Lions$2.0 Billion28Michael BidwillArizona Cardinals$1.4 Billion29Zygi WilfMinnesota Vikings$1.3 Billion30McCaskey FamilyChicago Bears$1.3 Billion31Art Rooney IIPittsburgh Steelers$1.2 Billion32Public StockholdersGreen Bay PackersN\/A<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t a coincidence that you see teams like Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Green Bay rarely get aggressive in free agency every year. They\u2019ll tell you it\u2019s because they prefer the battle-tested approach of drafting and developing their players. In reality, part of it is because they know they don\u2019t have the deep pockets to take aggressive swings in free agency every year. At the same time, the Rams do it all the time. It certainly doesn\u2019t hurt that their owner is the fourth-richest in the league.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd25 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel<\/a> to hear Chicago legends tell stories you\u2019ve never seen in headlines \u2014 real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.<\/p>\n

The upcoming new stadium also plays a role in this.<\/p>\n

Presuming a resolution is found by the end of this month, construction on a new stadium could begin before the year is over. It\u2019s been reported that the McCaskeys and the rest of the Bears\u2019 ownership are prepared to commit $2 billion to its construction. That is a massive investment. There is no way that looming windfall isn\u2019t having an effect on the purse strings as well. This may sound like excuses, but it\u2019s reality. The McCaskeys have to budget their funds carefully given the significant spending on the horizon.<\/p>\n

Priorities must be set. Caleb Williams and Darnell Wright are obvious. Both are cornerstones of the offense. Together with the stadium, that left the Bears with little in the way of cash reserves to do anything other than measured spending on the open market. It is why general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson seem committed to a draft-and-develop approach. That is what organizations must do when they don\u2019t have the checkbook open to them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chicago Bears fans are having a hard time understanding why the team has been rather quiet in free…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":748593,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2070],"tags":[374,1036,692,391,2493,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-811457","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-bears","8":"tag-bears","9":"tag-caleb-williams","10":"tag-chicago","11":"tag-chicago-bears","12":"tag-chicagobears","13":"tag-football","14":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116226243042789665","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=811457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/748593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=811457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=811457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=811457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}