Caleb Williams Heavily Considered Forcing Bears Not To Draft Him

In his upcoming book, American Kings: A Biography Of The Quarterback, Seth Wickersham of ESPN reports Bears QB Caleb Williams and his family consulted with lawyers before the 2024 NFL Draft to figure out a way to avoid being drafted by Chicago with the first overall pick.

According to Wickersham, Williams considered signing with the United Football League with the thought process of working around the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement. This could’ve made him an unrestricted free agent in 2025 and free to sign with a team of his choosing. 

Wickersham extensively spoke to Williams’ father, Carl Williams, who made clear he didn’t want his son to join Chicago. 

“Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die,” Carl Williams said. 

Wickersham reports Carl Williams told multiple agents in 2024: “I don’t want my son playing for the Bears.”

Wickersham writes that Carl Williams sought advice from Archie Manning, who helped Eli Manning land with the Giants after originally being drafted by the Chargers. Williams also met with labor lawyers and agents to determine how they could circumvent the CBA. 

Per Wickersham, Carl Williams vented about the rookie contract structure, which could keep Caleb Williams with the Bears for up to eight years: “The rookie cap is just unconstitutional. [The CBA is the] worst piece of s— I’ve ever read. It’s the worst in sports history.”

According to Wickersham, Carl Williams considered publicly attacking the Bears and the city of Chicago to create an untenable situation, which would’ve been a similar approach to Jack and John Elway with the Baltimore Colts in 1983. 

“He’s worried about me taking bullets,” Carl Williams said. “I don’t care. I just don’t agree with this s—, you know? I’m more interested in making sure that he can do what he wants to do.”

In the end, Caleb Williams told Wickersham he didn’t want to “nuke the city” and made clear to his father that he was committed to helping turn things around in Chicago. 

“I can do it for this team,” Caleb said. “I’m going to go to the Bears.”

Caleb Williams later mentioned how things were run under former HC Matt Eberflus and OC Shane Waldron, saying no one watched film with him or gave him guidance on how to play: “No one tells me what to watch. I just turn it on.”

Williams, 23, started his career at Oklahoma before following HC Lincoln Riley to USC for his final two seasons, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2022. He was selected first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Bears.

He signed a four-year, $39,486,058 rookie contract that included a $25.537 million signing bonus. The deal also includes a fifth-year option for the 2028 season. 

In 2024, Williams started all 17 games for the Bears and completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also rushed 81 times for 489 yards. 

We’ll have more on Williams and the Bears when the news is available.