Eli Manning and John Elway, along with a new book, shed light on Caleb Williams’ strategy to evade being drafted by last year’s Chicago Bears. According to the author, Seth Wickersham, Williams and his family sought legal advice to explore possible loopholes in the NFL’s collective bargaining framework. His father characterized the Bears as “quarterback dead.”
Williams himself contemplated the possibility of working with Shane Waldron, who was ultimately let go from his position as offensive coordinator. Carl Williams, Caleb’s father, expressed concerns about the franchise’s instability, particularly in light of the Bears’ recent history with Matt Evals and other past first-round quarterbacks.
“I don’t want my son to play for the Bears,” Carl Williams stated. In fact, after their conversation, Caleb mentioned he might even prefer to join the Minnesota Vikings instead, which is quite a shift from aiming for a top spot in the NFL Draft.
It’s noteworthy that there was even a moment when he thought about signing with the United Football League rather than going as a first overall pick to the NFL. This intriguing background will be elaborated in Wickersham’s upcoming book, “American Kings: The Biography of the Quarterback,” set to be released in September.
Interestingly, the Bears opted to refrain from commenting on the situation. Additionally, there were attempts to reach out to Williams’ representatives for more insight.
As the draft approached, Williams felt confident he would eventually make it into the NFL and thought about being in the same room as the Bears’ executives. However, General Manager Ryan Poles did not extend any offers, and Williams was anxious about repeating mistakes of past quarterbacks like Manning and Elway who had made similar scenarios in 2004 and 1983.
Ultimately, he became the franchise quarterback for Chicago, and he was relieved that some of the previous concerns regarding Evals and Waldron were no longer with the organization. This offseason saw Ben Johnson, previously with the Lions, appointed as the new head coach, which thrilled Williams. He even expressed gratitude to the Bears’ management during a phone call, describing the emotional moment afterwards, “I was driving on the highway, and I don’t know if it was safe, but I just cried out of excitement.”
Reflecting on his first season, Williams faced ups and downs, including being sacked 68 times—the highest in the league. Nevertheless, he finished with an impressive tally of 20 touchdowns against six interceptions, amassing over 3,500 passing yards and nearly 500 rushing yards. His total passing yardage reached 4,030, setting a new record for a Bears quarterback.
The Bears’ draft strategy included selecting Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick, which aimed to enhance support for Williams in the upcoming season.
