The Bears’ pitch-perfect offseason now runs the risk of getting a little complicated.
Bears rookies are set to report to Halas Hall for orientation Tuesday. Their top two draft picks, however, still haven’t signed their contracts.
Quarterback Caleb Williams, the first overall pick, and receiver Rome Odunze, the ninth selection, overall, are among the five first-round picks — all among the top 18 choices — yet to sign their deals. They are the two highest selections among the five, which also includes two Vikings — one of them quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
The collective bargaining agreement makes rookie contracts fairly standard, with salaries set in advance. Williams is expected to make $39.4 million over four seasons, and Odunze is expected to earn $22.7 million. Both will have a fifth-year team option that the Bears must decide on after their third seasons.
What’s left to negotiate typically revolves around language surrounding bonuses, guarantees and offsets.
Williams doesn’t have an agent certified by the NFL Players Association and has to negotiate for himself, by league rules. He’s using legal advisers and made reference to them Saturday when distancing himself from the contract talks.
‘‘My lawyer and attorney and everybody, the head of the Bears, everybody up there at the top is handling that,’’ he said after handing out Caleb Cares Hero awards on the South Side. ‘‘That’s not my position that I’m handling.’’
Williams has taken a similar stance throughout negotiations. In June, he said that allowing lawyers to try to work on his contract allows him to ‘‘be free-minded on the field.’’ The Bears have known since long before the draft that Williams would operate without a certified agent. Odunze has one.
The two practiced this offseason — at rookie minicamp, organized team activities and mandatory minicamp — despite not signing their deals. Per league rules, though, they cannot report to training camp without a contract.
There are five more days before their absence would become a true distraction. The Bears won’t practice in full until Saturday.
Williams had the full support of the franchise Saturday. Coach Matt Eberflus, general manager Ryan Poles and receiver DJ Moore were among the Bears’ representatives who drove to Pullman for his charity event. Afterward, Williams said he was ready to get on the field.
‘‘I’m excited to be able to get back,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ve been training. We had a little break. Training, getting ready.’’
Neither the team nor the rookies would benefit from a hiccup at the start of camp. The Bears are trying to learn coordinator Shane Waldron’s offensive system and need all the practice time they can get. They already are reporting early, though: They’re one of eight NFL teams who have rookies due Tuesday. Four others — including the Texans, their opponent in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 1 — do so Wednesday.
The Texans’ veterans also report Wednesday, the earliest of any NFL team. Bears veterans report Friday, the second-earliest date in the league.
The rest of the Bears’ rookie class has been under contract for two months. Defensive end Austin Booker was the last among the rest to sign, doing so May 16.
