Bears Sign No. 39 Pick Luther Burden To Fully Guaranteed Rookie Contract

No. 39 pick Luther Burden is signing a 100% fully guaranteed rookie contract with the Bears, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, becoming the latest pick in the history of the draft to do so.

News of Burden’s deal came two hours after No. 37 pick Jonah Savaiinaea received a fully guaranteed contract from the Dolphins, continuing a cascade of second-round pick signings as teams being to gather for training camp. Burden, once a projected first-round pick, will still secure a fully guaranteed rookie deal after falling into the second round.

Burden was an interesting case study during his time in Columbia. As a five-star freshman with the Tigers, coming in as the top-ranked receiver in the Class of 2022, Burden started 10 games but only amassed 375 yards. Still, he showed flashes in Year 1 with a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown and even a one-year rushing score, but the fact that he had more drops (7) than touchdowns (6) was an early sign of the volatility one could expect from him.

His sophomore season put him on the map for scouts everywhere. A second-team All-American season showed Burden break onto the scene with 86 catches for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns, while reducing his drops to only four despite seeing twice the targets. Scouts were licking their chops for his 2024 film, but Burden rewarded them only with a bit of regression, giving them 61 receptions for 676 yards and six touchdowns. He did continue to display his electric, play-making abilities, though, with two more rushing touchdowns, including one for 61 yards.

Because of his quickness, Burden functions primarily as a slot receiver, and at 6-foot, 206 pounds, he’s an imposing slot. Mizzou almost exclusively worked to get the ball in his hands within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. His 10 catches of 20 yards or more last year ranked 110th for receivers in the NFL. A big reason for that was his struggles with route-running. With footwork and an upright running style making separation hard to come by downfield, the Tigers relied on his quickness to get him the ball closer to the line of scrimmage.

That is where Burden shined. Burden was a yards after catch machine in college. Impressive foot speed, body control, and change of direction made him a menace with the ball in his hands, which is why Missouri fed him day and night to the tune of 192 career receptions — good for fourth all-time in school history — in only three years. Those same skills make him a dangerous gadget rusher and return man, as well, though he had issues with ball security during his time at Mizzou.

With D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze catching passes on the outside from Caleb Williams, Chicago had quite a few players vying for snaps in the slot like Olamide Zaccheaus, Devin Duvernay, and Tyler Scott. Drafting Burden potentially saves them the position battle. Though he’ll still have to earn the job, Burden’s pedigree and big-play ability should make him a favorite to be on the field in three-receiver sets with Moore and Odunze.

All eyes will now turn to No. 40 pick Tyler Shough. His holdout for a fully guaranteed deal as the Saints’ projected starting quarterback is one of the main reasons that so many second-rounders remained unsigned by their rookie reporting dates. Now that every pick ahead of Shough has signed a fully guaranteed deal – except for Browns rookie Quinshon Judkins, who is facing a misdemeanor battery charge in Florida – the 25-year-old quarterback should be able to extract similar terms from the Saints.

The Bears’ rookie class is due to report on Friday, and after reaching an agreement with the team on a four-year, $10.965MM contract, Burden will be among them. The former Missouri standout will now compete with a deep group of pass-catchers for targets in Ben Johnson‘s new-look offense. Here’s a final look at Chicago’s eight-man rookie class:

• Round 1, No. 10: Colston Loveland (TE, Michigan) (signed)
• Round 2, No. 39 (from Panthers): Luther Burden (WR, Missouri) (signed)
• Round 2, No. 56 (from Vikings through Texans and Bills): Ozzy Trapilo (T, Boston College) (signed)
• Round 2, No. 62: Shemar Turner (DT, Texas A&M) (signed)
• Round 4, No. 132 (from Bills): Ruban Hyppolite (LB, Maryland) (signed)
• Round 5, No. 169 (from Bills)*: Zah Frazier (CB, Texas-San Antonio) (signed)
• Round 6, No. 195 (from Steelers through Rams): Luke Newman (G, Michigan State) (signed)
• Round 7, No. 233 (from Bengals): Kyle Monangai (RB, Rutgers) (signed)

Ely Allen contributed to this post.