Getty Image / Michael Reaves
The hope is high for the Chicago Bears rookie and the 2024 NFL Draft first-overall pick, Caleb Williams. With a good supporting cast around him, he should be a pretty productive player from his first start.;
Bettors think so too, as a large amount of money is flowing in on Caleb Williams MVP futures prior to him even throwing a preseason pass!
Fanatics Sportsbooks put out a chart showing just how much of the handle is being bet on Caleb Williams. Take a look.
Jim Brown is the only NFL player to win MVP in his rookie season, but many bettors think Caleb Williams can make history…
The No. 1 pick has already seen his MVP odds improve from +10000 to +7500 👀 pic.twitter.com/IaZy7saNTu
— Fanatics Sportsbook (@FanaticsBook) July 24, 2024
No rookie quarterback has ever won NFL MVP, and only legendary running back Jim Brown has won it at any position as a rookie, all the way back in 1957.
But, apparently a large group of bettors thinks his odds, once at 100-1 and now at 75-1, are a worthwhile investment. And, it makes some sense.
First off, the Bears have nowhere to go but up. They’ve won just sixteen games the last three seasons, and have won ten games just once in the past decade.
Because of that, if Caleb Williams can win ten games, or make the playoffs with nine wins, he will be hailed a hero and will be made a pretty big star nationally by the media. That will only be helped by the size of the Chicago media market.
He should be able to get to nine or ten wins, too. This team is not the Bears team of 2022 or earlier 2023 that was pretty helpless. They had a solid finish to last season, and they’ve upgraded their talent significantly.
The skill player group is as good as anyone’s. A receiving corps of star DJ Moore, shrewd veteran acquisition Keenan Allen, and fellow 2024 top-ten pick Rome Odunze paired with a good tight end in Cole Kmet is an embarrassment of pass-catching rituals. Free agent acquisition Deandre Swift is high-upside at running back, and the offensive line is solid enough.
That’s a group that should, in theory, put up a lot of yards and points as long as Caleb Williams plays well. Having to play nine games in volatile Chicago weather stinks, but that’s one of the league’s top offenses on paper.
But, the USC product and 2022 Heisman winner is still a rookie that would’ve been a true senior in college this year. He’s going to have a lot of learning to do and there will be growing pains.
It’s hard to see him having much better of a rookie season than Texans Quarterback CJ Stroud’s masterpiece last year. And, that wasn’t good enough to win MVP, though he definitely had some buzz at time.
Ultimately, at 75-1, some people will be tempted given the upside of Caleb Williams and the Bears offense.