Bears Send Message on Rome Odunze After Draft Trade Interest

Getty Bears rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze.

The Chicago Bears had received trade interest in their No. 9 pick during the 2024 NFL draft, but one thing stopped them from genuinely considering a trade out of the spot: Washington’s Rome Odunze, the player they picked.

General manager Ryan Poles confirmed on The Pat McAfee Show on May 1 that teams called the Bears about a potential trade for their ninth overall selection. He also said that, with Odunze still on the board, they never genuinely considered moving back.

“Rome was at the top of our list,” Poles said Wednesday. “We have our draft board separated by different colors and there are certain guys you don’t pass up on and Rome’s one of them. It’s hard to find a guy that is that big and that talented at the receiver spot and, on top of that, being an unbelievable human being as well.

“There was no movement off of Rome at all.”

The Bears had their dream scenario play out in the first round of the 2024 draft. First, they landed their quarterback of the future in Caleb Williams using the No. 1 pick they acquired from the Carolina Panthers in last year’s pre-draft trade. Then, with a stroke of luck, they had a star pass-catcher in Odunze fall to them at ninth in the overall order.

Perhaps if Odunze had not fallen to the Bears, they would have considered some of their trade-back options in the first round. A draft-day video inside the New York Jets’ war room revealed the Atlanta Falcons had an interest in moving up to No. 10, so they might have also been interested in going up one spot soon and getting No. 9 from the Bears.

Fortunately, the Bears never have to play “what if?”

Rome Odunze Has Long-Term Star Potential for Bears

The Bears are justified in feeling so strongly about Odunze. He is one of the top wide receiver prospects to come out of college in the past few years and has the type of production and polish that could make him an instant star at the NFL level.

Odunze caught 92 passes for an NCAA-leading 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns over 15 games for the Huskies, proving to be an adept tactician in terms of his route-runner. He recorded an outstanding 9.92 relative athletic score (RAS) at the 2024 NFL Combine, making him a rare breed when also considered he is 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds.

The Bears could also benefit from getting Odunze and Williams at the same time. Make no mistake, Williams will have a strong supporting cast as a rookie in 2024, but being on the same timeline as Odunze could naturally allow them to develop at the same pace and eventually become one of the NFL’s most formidable quarterback-receiver duo — assuming both of them live up to the lofty star potential each seems to possess.

How Soon Will Rome Odunze See the Field for Bears?

Odunze is one of the most exciting 2024 additions for the Bears alongside Williams. Unlike Williams, though, there are a few other receivers higher up than Odunze on the depth chart who could limit his reps — at first — as the Bears head into the new season.

DJ Moore returns as the Bears’ No. 1 receiver after htting career-high marks in catches (96), receiving yards (1,364) and touchdowns (eight) during his first year in Chicago. The Bears also traded a 2024 fourth-round pick to acquire six-time Pro Bowl talent Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers early in free agency, potentially giving them the most talented receiver duo in franchise history.

Odunze will certainly fit into the picture somehow, but the Bears have no reason to rush him into the spotlight with two veteran stars leading off the position. In other words, while a healthy Odunze is bound to receive targets in Week 1, it might take a little time for him to ascend beyond the third or fourth option for their offense, especially with tight end Cole Kmet still in the mix as another experience and talented pass-catcher.