‘Chicago Is The Place Quarterbacks Go To Die’: How Caleb Williams Tried To Avoid Draft To Bears

Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams and his father, Carl Williams, reportedly looked for ways around going to the Chicago Bears first overall, including demanding a trade to the Minnesota Vikings, consulting lawyers to evade the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement and even signing with the United Football League (UFL).

ESPN Writer Seth Wickersham‘s forthcoming book, American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback, details Williams’ pre- and post-Draft journey, alongside the stories of other iconic quarterbacks, including Johnny Unitas and the Mannings.

“I don’t want my son playing for the Bears,” the elder Williams reportedly told multiple agents leading up to the Draft. That hesitation was understandable. The Bears have famously never had a 4,000-yard season from a quarterback. They’ve had two Pro Bowl selections since 1950, and one of them was Mitch Trubisky as a replacement in 2018.

The coaching also presented an issue for the Williams family. At the time, the Bears employed Matt Eberflus as their head coach and Shane Waldron as their offensive coordinator. Caleb, skeptical of the coaching staff, wondered, “Do I want to go there? I don’t think I can do it with Waldron.”

As it turns out, both have now been replaced following a season best represented by a Week 8 loss to the Washington Commanders, sealed by Jayden Daniels‘ Hail Mary. Eberflus was fired mid-season, at the end of November. The Bears, who had gone 4-2 prior to the Washington game, finished the season with ten consecutive losses and one win.

On the other side of the coaching coin, Caleb had hit it off with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell at the NFL Combine. He and his father made their preferences clear, including to the Chicago brass, but the Bears did not budge. Said general manager Ryan Poles, “We’re drafting you no matter what.”

Not wanting to get into a public firestorm, Caleb acquiesced. “I wasn’t ready to nuke the city,” he told Wickersham.

It’s undeniable that Williams felt the full brunt of that decision during his rookie year. While other rookie quarterbacks – particularly Daniels, who went on to win Rookie of the Year – benefitted from a stable coaching staff, Williams’ head coach was fired in the middle of the year. And even before that, Williams wasn’t receiving much guidance from the coaching staff.

“No one tells me what [film] to watch,” Williams told his father. “I just turn it on.”

Williams played decently, but didn’t live up to the hype. He was also sacked a league-leading 68 times. It looked like a confirmation of all his greatest fears about the Bears organization.

The organizational turnaround, though, looks promising. Chicago has replaced Eberflus with respected Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and added young offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. The team also invested in quarterback protection, trading for Kansas City Chiefs’ four-time All-Pro guard Joe Thuney.

There are still questions about Chicago as an organization, and there’s a limit to the turnaround you can really expect from Johnson’s hiring. Still, Williams ultimately committed to the Bears, and the team seems to be doing its best to build around him.

“I see a chance for greatness here for him,” said Johnson. “He’s been communicated that way, and he feels the same way. I don’t know what’s gone on prior to him joining the organization, but he is very proud to be a Chicago Bear.”