Patrick Mahomes’ $450 Million Contract Cited by Ron Rivera to Justify Caleb Williams to Bears

Caleb Williams is the talk of the town with NFL Draft finally here. The USC quarterback became the No.1 pick after an offseason full of speculations and joins the Chicago Bears. Opinions are plenty about the Heisman Trophy winner, with some in favor and others questioning the hype.

One such viewpoint was whether the Bears should invest in Williams with a massive contract. One former Super Bowl champion from the franchise presented an intriguing case in favor of the soon-to-be rookie and used the Chiefs sensation Patrick Mahomes as an example.

Ron Rivera quoted Patrick Mahomes’ massive contract

Mahomes became the highest-paid athlete in the league after signing a 10-year contract extension with Kansas City in the 2020 offseason worth $450 million. NFL analyst and former Bears linebacker broke down why a seemingly massive deal is also “team-friendly” and works for the franchise in the long run. On an appearance on the All Facts No Brakes with Keyshawn Johnson, Ron Rivera said, “The deal, the way it’s structured, it helps that team continue to do what they’re doing right now.”

Calling their head coach, Andy Reid, and the Chiefs’ front office “smart” and “intelligent” for making Mahomes the key player. Rivera stressed that despite the big numbers, the deal is “not all about him,” but rather also building the core team around the quarterback. “Not only do you have a quarterback with a friendly contract to the team, but also knowing when to move on, when to make those tough decisions.”  

Ultimately, the former NFL legend reiterated that with an expensive deal early on in their career, a player also gets “success” off the field, who in turn would “help their teams build.” He feels one such future star would be Caleb Williams for the Bears, “With a guy like Caleb who comes in as a rookie and has success then you continue to build with them.” Rivera was rightly optimistic about the Bears entering this year’s Draft with and felt it was Williams’ college background, which made him a promising prospect as the team’s new quarterback.

Caleb Williams’ USC history makes him the perfect fit for the Bears

Rivera has high hopes for Chicago in the upcoming season and thinks they might have a shot at the playoffs. And for this journey of the Bears, he feels Williams would be the perfect candidate. “I do believe Caleb Williams is their pick. I believe he is the guy that can come in and impact that franchise and get them going in the right direction,” said the analyst, whose confidence in the future rookie comes from his Trojans experience.

Strongly advocating for Williams’ draft, Rivera said, “He played here at USC. When you play on a team like that plays the types of games they play, against the competition they can and then do what he did. I do believe it shows he’s -more than capable.” After transferring to the University of Southern Carolina in 2022, the quarterback became the college’s first AP College Football Player of the Year since 2015.

The Heisman trophy winner became the most sought-after player in this year’s draft, and for good reason. Caleb Williams’ 3,333 passing yards, 266 completions, and 30 touchdowns last season speak for themselves. If not Chicago, the talented quarterback would’ve swooped up by the next top-pick-holding franchise in hopes of upgrading their roster.