According to Adam Schefter, the Chicago Bears and wide receiver Luther Burden III have agreed on a four-year deal. The second-round pick will get a four-year, $10.9 million contract that is fully guaranteed. This is the first time in NFL history that the 39th overall pick has secured a fully-guaranteed deal. Burden has been off to a slow start as he missed spring practices due to a soft tissue issue. Head coach Ben Johnson isn't concerned and believes Burden will be fine in time for training camp. Burden figures to serve as the No. 3 wideout behind DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. The Bears have a handful of options on offense, so Burden might get lost in the shuffle during his first year in Chicago.
Jul 18, 2025 5:55 PM EST
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson seems confident that rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III (undisclosed) will be good to go for the start of training camp later this month, according to The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain. Burden was unavailable to take part in any of OTAs or minicamp this offseason after the Bears took him at No. 39 overall in April's NFL draft. The 21-year-old pass-catcher lost valuable development time heading into his first year in the NFL, but the good news is he should be ready to go when training camp kicks off this summer. Burden will be competing for the WR3 role in Chicago behind DJ Moore and second-year wideout Rome Odunze. The Bears also have tight ends Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland, too, so there are plenty of mouths to feed in head coach Ben Johnson's offense. Burden was very productive in college, but don't expect a heavy workload in his first year in the NFL.
Jul 10, 2025 1:23 PM EST
Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III (undisclosed), who suffered an undisclosed injury back in rookie minicamp, is expected to be ready to go for the start of training camp in late July, according to head coach Ben Johnson. The 21-year-old second-rounder has yet to sign his rookie deal, too, which is also playing a part in his absence from offseason workouts as he heads into his first year in the NFL. Burden is losing valuable reps to learn Johnson's offense, but when he does rejoin the team, he has an opportunity to be the Bears' No. 3 wideout in 2025 behind DJ Moore and second-year pass-catcher Rome Odunze. When you factor in tight ends Cole Kmet and rookie Colston Loveland (shoulder) and running back D'Andre Swift, it's a lot of mouths to feed in Chicago. Burden's physicality and production in college make him a fine dynasty/keeper stash, but he could struggle for consistency in 2025.
Jun 10, 2025 9:57 PM EST
Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III (undisclosed) was still missing from offseason practices this week due to an undisclosed soft-tissue injury. It's unclear exactly what Burden is dealing with. Although he could be ready to go by training camp in late July, the 21-year-old pass-catcher is losing valuable developmental reps this offseason heading into his first NFL season in 2025. In addition to his injury, he has yet to sign his rookie contract. When healthy, Burden could be the Bears' No. 3 receiver in the slot alongside DJ Moore and second-year man Rome Odunze. He will likely be competing with Olamide Zaccheaus for the No. 3 role, but even if he wins it, Burden could be fighting an uphill battle for consistent targets in his rookie season on a Bears offense that now has six players that were former top-50 picks.
Jun 7, 2025 1:48 PM EST
Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III (undisclosed) is not practicing on Wednesday as he deals with a soft-tissue injury, according to head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson said, "It remains to be seen" when the rookie from Missouri will return to action. Burden was selected in the second round of last month's draft after compiling 192 receptions for 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns in 38 career games. He added 34 carries for 234 yards and four scores as a runner. While Burden is an exciting player with the ball in his hands, it's tough to get too optimistic about his fantasy outlook in 2025. Caleb Williams is unproven at quarterback, and the Chicago pass-catching group is crowded with DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, and D'Andre Swift. He's a solid dynasty rookie draft pick at cost, but it would be a surprise if he's a consistent producer for redraft leagues in Year 1.
May 21, 2025 3:29 PM EST
Chicago Bears rookie second-round wide receiver Luther Burden III still feels disrespected that he wasn't selected in the first round of this year's NFL draft. "I feel like teams that passed up on me are going to regret it," Burden said. "I just want to make everybody pay." Burden has been impressive in the early portions of rookie minicamp after being a first-team All-SEC selection the last two years. He caught 192 passes for 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns in three college seasons at Missouri. The 21-year-old will join first-round rookie tight end Colston Loveland in an offense that already features pass-catchers DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet and Olamide Zaccheaus. The 6-foot, 206-pound Burden will initially be competing with Zaccheaus this summer for the WR3 role in Chicago. Volume will be an issue, but Burden certainly has intriguing after-the-catch abilities.
May 11, 2025 1:09 PM EST
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