The Chicago Bears have made the signings of second-round draft picks OT Ozzy Trapilo and DT Shemar Turner official, which now brings the number of Bears drafted players in 2025 under contract to seven out of eight.
All except second-round wide receiver Luther Burden III. Drafted No. 39 overall, the pick on day two of the draft came as a shocker to all. Projected to land as early as the first round, Burden became available for Chicago and added another weapon for head coach Ben Johnson to play around with in the Bears’ new-look offense.
However, with Bears’ training camp beginning tomorrow, without a deal in place, the wideout from Missouri could be absent for the start.
Burden at 6-foot-0 was a five-star recruit coming out of East St. Louis High School and one of the largest commits to the University of Missouri. From his freshman season, Burden started for the Tigers and made a significant impression.
He played in all 13 games in his first two seasons and only missed one in his junior year. He totaled 192 receptions for 2,263 yards, which included a 1,212-yard season in his sophomore year. He caught 21 touchdowns and ran for 234 yards in three seasons, with four touchdowns on the ground.
With a chip on his shoulder for falling into the second round, Burden addressed the Chicago media shortly after with a clear mindset about his thoughts on his eventual draft position.
“Nah, that’s staying with me forever. Everyone who passed up on me gotta pay,” Burden said.
Burden has showcased his skill set, and his college tape reveals the high potential his game could reach in the NFL. Similar to the rise of Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams, who elevated his game under Johnson and former receivers coach Antwaan Randle El, both of whom are now in Chicago, Burden could see the same growth.
On top of the potential absence in training camp, Burden missed time during the Bears’ OTAs and minicamp due to a soft tissue injury suffered during minicamp.
Johnson didn’t hold back, saying that Burden is behind schedule and needs to get on the field.
“He misses a lot,” Johnson said. “Any time you’re not out there, if you’re in the training room when the rest of the guys are practicing, you’re losing valuable time; valuable time with your coaches, valuable reps with your teammates, the ability to build the trust that we’re talking about. It’s not just the coaching staff having trust in you, doing the right thing over and over, but it’s also your teammates. They have to be out there. They have to see you do it. They have to know that the guy to the right and the left of them are going to do the right things, and they’re going to make the plays when called upon. It’s for everybody.
“It’s a shame that he got dinged up and missed all that time, because for a young player, it’s really where you where you get the most reps and you can get better in a hurry that way. That’s really for every player on this team.”
What is the holdup on getting a deal done?
There is a standoff not only between the Bears and Burden to sign a rookie deal, but also between picks No. 36, Quinshon Judkins; No. 37, Jonah Savaiinaea; and No. 38, TreVeyon Henderson, who have yet to sign their contracts.
So far, Cleveland Browns No. 33 overall pick Carson Schwesinger, No. 34 Jayden Higgins, and No. 35 Nick Emmanwori have been the only second-round picks to sign fully guaranteed contracts.
This doesn’t help the Bears in their efforts to align with Burden and his representation.
Pick No. 43 Alfred Collins and the San Francisco 49ers agreed to a rookie deal that gave Collins 88% of the fully guaranteed money. Had the Bears not had the standoff of a full-guaranteed agreement, the 88% option could be one they explore.
This is a new wave of second-round draft picks demanding more guaranteed money in their contract.
Second-round picks generally sign four-year deals with a portion of the agreement paid in guaranteed money. Still, with the recent trends of early second-round picks receiving all of the guaranteed money, that’s what Burden is looking for.
In last season’s 2024 NFL draft, the No. 39 overall pick, Braden Fiske, drafted by the Los Angeles Rams, signed a four-year, $9.4 million deal with $7.6 million guaranteed at signing. Fiske also received a $3.6 million signing bonus, and 15% of his salary for the fourth year was guaranteed.
Also, last season, the first wide receiver selected in the second round, Keon Coleman, received his contract with fully guaranteed money. However, the No. 37 overall pick, wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, received only $8.21 million of his $9.7 million guaranteed amount.
Burden is expected to sign a four-year, $10.95 million deal, according to Spotrac, which is the standard amount for a second-round pick and the position in the round Burden was drafted.
There is urgency for Burden to get on the field
Matters are much worse in this case than Burden has seen limited time his first NFL offseason, taking away reps from seeing the field and building a connection with quarterback Caleb Williams.
Not to mention the valuable playing time that could be missed learning the new offensive playbook under Johnson.
It will be a good sign to see Burden at least attend training, assuming that, without a deal in place, he won’t be suiting up.
Burden was seen working with Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, despite the soft tissue injury being fully healed and ready to go.
The Pulse 
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