Caleb Williams is officially taking his talents to the Windy City. With the No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft on Thursday evening, the Chicago Bears selected the former USC quarterback Williams, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2022. Williams broke multiple records during his time as a Trojan, including single-season marks for total offense (4,919 yards), most touchdowns scored (52), passing completions (333), most passing yards gained (4,537), and most touchdown passes thrown (42). Prior to the draft, the Bears traded previous top pick Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers in preparation for selecting Williams. Fellow quarterback Jayden Daniels was drafted second overall by the Washington Commanders, while the New England Patriots kept the QB trend going by selecting Drake Maye to round out the top three.

Jordan Brand‘s roster of NFL ambassadors just expanded with the company announcing the signing of Raiders DE Maxx Crosby and Rams wideout Puka Nacua on Thursday. Per Boardroom’s Nick DePaula, the deal is a multi-year footwear and apparel endorsement deal. However, financial terms were not disclosed at this time. Crosby and Nacua join an impressive list of Jordan Brand athletes in the NFL that includes Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, Deebo Samuel, and more.

Comcast revealed its Q1 earnings on Thursday, and the company continues to see a positive uptick when it comes to Peacock subscribers. The platform ended March with roughly 3 million more new Peacock users compared to the same time period last year, while profits improved 54% year-over-year to $1.1 billion. While not the sole factor, the NFL has played a large part in the company seeing its adjusted loss narrowed by 9% to $639 million, specifically its exclusive coverage of the NFL Wild Card game between the Chiefs and Dolphins. The NFL plans to continue with this strategy in the 2024 season, during which Peacock will exclusively air a Friday game between the Eagles and Packers in Brazil. Comcast President Michael Cavanagh shared in the earnings report that Peacock currently boasts 34 million subscribers, 9.6% higher than the prior quarter and 41% more than a year ago.

Adidas announced the addition of NFL rookies Rome Odunze, Michael Penix Jr., Adonai Mitchell, and Xavier Legette to the brand’s professional athlete roster on Thursday. College teammates Odunze and Penix Jr. are no strangers to the brand. The two became Adidas’ first NIL football athletes in October 2023, later leading the Washington Huskies to the national championship. Mitchell and Legette, meanwhile, are both wide receiver prospects out of Texas and South Carolina, respectively. The group will join an elite cast of Adidas athletes already in the NFL, such as Patrick Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa.

Following a successful partnership with Oprah Winfrey‘s Harpo Films and Scott Sanders Productions on The Color Purple, actress and musician H.E.R. is partnering again with the Hollywood duo on a Majorettes-inspired project for 20th Century Studios that she’ll develop, star in, and produce. The Hollywood Reporter exclusively reports that the untitled feature will take place at a fictional Historically Black College or University in Atlanta, following an “introverted ballet dancer from L.A. who defies her parents by putting her thriving dance career on hold to go to college.” Emmy nominee Lauren Ashley Smith, head writer for HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, has been tapped to pen the script for the film.

The NCAA confirmed Thursday that they’ve tapped Teamworks to provide NIL services to its Division I members and athletes. In the release, the org said the sports software firm would provide a “mobile-friendly, web-based solution” to gather intel regarding all NIL payments of at least $600 and then assemble the data into a registry by Aug. 1. “The company already has a broad presence beyond NIL within the NCAA membership, and we will capitalize on that presence to help student-athletes better navigate and make informed decisions in the NIL environment,” said NCAA vice president of academic and membership affairs Dave Schnase.