The Bears have added a veteran quarterback to their position group, someone with starter’s experience who can help mentor Caleb Williams.

Case Keenum will sign a one-year contract with the Bears, a league source confirmed on Thursday evening. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report the news. The pact could be worth up to $3 million, per Schefter.

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The Bears quarterback room was young last year and set up to be again in 2025 prior to the Keenum addition. Tyson Bagent was Williams’ backup and Austin Reed was also present as a member of the practice squad.

Keenum will give the quarterback room some real-world experience and insight, considering he’s actually older than quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett.

Keenum has 11 seasons of NFL experience. He has represented seven teams in that span, primarily as a backup. He was a full-time starter a few times, including a 2017 season where he compiled an 11-3 record in 14 starts for the Minnesota Vikings.

The University of Houston product is used to the veteran mentor role, having filled for Josh Allen in Buffalo and C.J. Stroud for the Texans in the last three seasons. Overall, Keenum has played in 80 games with 66 starts. He has a career 62.3 completion percentage and an 84.6 quarterback rating.

This is yet another Bears move designed to support Williams. They have done so in obvious ways, like hiring head coach Ben Johnson and overhauling the interior offensive line. The Keenum signing is more subtle, but having a peer available to share wisdom and insight in meetings and on the sidelines will help as last year’s No. 1 overall pick learn a new system and develop aspects of his game.

While Keenum has been a No. 2, don’t simply assume he’ll occupy that role here. Bagent has performed well for Chicago when asked to step up, including in a starting role. He’s a good culture guy and a competitor who will strive to maintain his role as Williams’ primary backup.

Keenum brings a needed element to the position group, though, which will benefit the team. It also suggests the Bears will keep three quarterbacks on the roster, which doesn’t always fit modern roster math. The Bears clearly consider it worthwhile in Keenum’s case (see what I did there?!?), adding an experienced signal caller to the mix.

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