With Caleb Williams slated to go first-overall to the Bears in the 2024 draft, the quarterback’s camp considered some unconventional options in an attempt to avoid Chicago. In Seth Wickersham’s upcoming book, “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,” there are some notable anecdotes (via ESPN.com) surrounding Williams’ wariness of going to the Bears.
The player’s father, Carl Williams, described Chicago as “the place quarterbacks go to die,” with the QB himself questioning his ability to succeed in then-offensive coordinator Shane Waldron‘s system. Williams’ camp went as far as considering circumventing the draft altogether, consulting with lawyers about ways they could get “around the league’s collective bargaining agreement.” One of the considered options would have seen Williams signing with the United Football League.
Carl Williams plainly stated to agents that he didn’t want his son playing for the Bears. Specifically, the quarterback’s camp cited the franchise’s lack of recent success at the position, as well as the Bears’ stadium uncertainty and tepid performance under then-head coach Matt Eberflus.
As Williams’ camp looked for ways for the prospect to choose his own landing spot, Carl Williams consulted with Archie Manning, who helped Eli Manning avoid the Chargers in favor of the Giants in 2004. In addition to his overall concern about Chicago, Carl Williams also had issues with the league’s rookie-wage scale and the fact that any franchise could effectively prevent first-round picks from hitting free agency for eight years.
A conversation with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell had the quarterback clamoring for a way to play in Minnesota. After Bears GM Ryan Poles “stood firm” and refused to trade the first-overall pick, the player’s camp considered making the situation untenable by attacking both the organization and the city of Chicago. Ultimately, a pre-draft visit to the Bears facilities stopped Williams and his family from making any public protests, and he ended up landing in Chicago with the first-overall pick.
Of course, since Williams was drafted, the Bears have already seen some significant changes to leadership. Waldron was the first casualty from the Bears’ underwhelming start to the season, and Eberflus also didn’t make it through the entirety of the QB’s first NFL campaign (before that happened, Wickersham passes along a story where Williams studied film alone, without instruction from coaches). The team has since hired former Lions OC Ben Johnson to guide the squad, and the new head coach said he doesn’t have any concerns about today’s report.
“I see a chance for greatness here for him,” Johnson said during an appearance today on The Herd. “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. That’s what our conversations have included. He’s really excited to get to work right now and be the best version of himself for 2025.”
Hard to blame them, especially when the team was retaining a lame duck coach while bringing in a first round quarterback for the third time in less than a decade. Much better circumstances now, at least.
I mean any sensible Bears’ fan would agree with most of, if not all of this.
Have fun bears, now you get to deal with a father who’s a malcontent for the for seeable future
Yeah, you never want a quarterback whose father is very involved and opinionated about which organization he goes to. Look at Archie Manning’s kids.
Carl Williams isn’t Archie Manning- who actually played the game. He’s another controlling father who is living vicariously through his kid. You see it at every level of most sports. They ruin more kids than they’ve ever helped help. I’ve seen it. Everyone has.
Sure, I’ve seen versions of that, but Caleb’s worked out pretty well so far, other than struggling in his first year in the NFL (as many successful quarterbacks do) in a difficult situation. And you don’t know he’s living vicariously through his kid. He could just be doing his version of looking out for him.
Well as long as we’re conjecturing, keep in mind this is an ESPN account which may or may not have all the veracity of a Jerry Springer episode.
Carl Williams just wanted to help his son, who wanted to go to the Vikings instead. Poles said he would draft him anyway. Pop also wanted his son to get equity from the team but the league wouldnt allow it. Caleb then changed his mind. Like Carl Williams said, the rookie wage scale is unconstitutional but the players union voted for it.
Unconstitutional? Okay man.
Unconstitutional?….Really….is this an example of Carl Williams intellectual powers or what……
Maybe you could explain how “the rookie wage scale is unconstitutional” and how you propose to fix it and make it constitutional and while you’re at it…What constitution are you talking about?
My comment must have been deleted. The players should have never agreed to a rookie scale since high draft picks were going with a legal signing precedent. Sam Bradford was the last overall #1 to go by this precedent, but veterans were jealous and followed the owner’s Pied Piper music to the CBA rookie scale. Though high picks can still make good money, they can also be cut loose if they dont develop quicker. It would have been harder before the 2011 CBA. Despite taking his team to an NFC Championship and SB appearance, Purdy still barely made 3 million dollars last year because he couldnt fight the scale and get a renegotiation. I quoted Williams but agree that the CBA is a piece of sh*t …
The whole reason for the rookie scale was rookies were getting paid big $ and not performing. That prevented veteran players from making more on 2nd contracts due to the salary cap. Calling that “unconstitutional” is ridiculous. It’s a CBA signed by players and management. Then Williams father demanded his son get equity in the team? Didn’t even play a down in the NFL. Talk about stupidity. Going to the UFL? If you’re not happy your son is a #1 pick on a big market team with lots of potential for side deals and guaranteed to be a millionaire for life, there are no words for that.
I have not read a more incorrect statement on the rookie wage scale. The veteran players wanted it, because rookies were taking up all the salary cap without ever playing a snap. It wasn’t greedy owners. To suggest as such is a total lie.
I guarantee you Mr Chester, had you been Cam Newton in 2011, you would have been pissed off having to only make 22 million, where Sam Bradford made 78 million on his contract. I already stated that the veterans wanted it but the owners did to, since they didnt have to follow the financial precedent any longer. Regardless of a CBA agreement, what rookie #1 pick would want to go backward in salary and signing bonus?
It doesnt matter anyway. Williams agreed to go to the Bears and now has a real coach who can develop him. I predict the Bears will go 9-8.
The salary cap didn’t change, just the rookie wage scale. Owners did not pay more or less money, they just paid different people. You’re making things up and blaming rich boogeymen. Rookies have NO SAY in CBAs because they’re not in the league yet. It doesn’t matter what ANY #1 pick wants. The greed of rookies like Jamarcus Russell is why veterans agreed to this deal.
Players did this to players. Blame them, and them alone. Besides why in the world would I feel bad that Cam Newton didn’t make enough money as a rookie? He made over $133M in his career. Boo friggin hoo.
So the founding fathers envisioned the NFL and wrote into the constitution that QB’s could not have a rookie wage scale?? Ok. Lol
He’s a malcontent for observing the truth? Now, all that nonsense about the Constitution in relation to a job is silly, but he didn’t say anything wrong about going to the Bears being a bad place for a QB.
I’d like to know what hallucinogenic drugs Carl Williams was consuming when he formulated the idea that the UFL would offer his son more money than the Bears.
I’m imagining they were looking at if he signed there played if he then would be eligible for circumvent the draft and become a free agent
Facts
He actually would have had to do it for two years because the player goes back into the draft the second year and becomes an UDFA after two. Generational talent or not or whatever they made him out to be, that’s going to lead to not as much money and teams not building around you since you’re such a low pick. My question is why not go back to USC one more year or better yet, even transfer when you already knew the Bears had the pick? He could have made what he made his rookie year in NIL for one year to transfer to say Alabama for DeBoer’s first year or a zillion other programs. More snaps in college obviously helped the top two guys in the class this past year. So at the end of the day, they have no one to blame but themselves if this doesn’t work out.
Whatever Aaron Rodgers does in S. America.
Why do you think he believed the UFL would offer more money? If anything, it sounds like that idea was about steering clear of Chicago and entering the NFL as a free agent after a year in the UFL, where he presumably would have signed with someone like Pittsburgh or Seattle this offseason.
They thought about it, but another team would have claimed his rights in this draft. The CBA is a joke. The House(owners)always win. Everyone believes players should be happy and honor their contracts but teams can cut them loose anytime.
And players hold out all the time too.
I mean the draft just ensures competitive balance unless you want college football in the pros. It was collectively bargained, so there’s nothing unconstitutional or even wrong about it. It’s an asinine take.
Why go to the UFL and get paid lunch money? Your skills won’t be improved in that league and you’re putting yourself at risk of an injury that could completely destroy any future value NFL teams might see in you.
True…and your totally gambling that 1 year later, teams are going to remember your college career and actually pay you for it when you are in competition with QB’s coming out of college in real time…..
My question is why didn’t they just have him stay in college. He would have made more money than his rookie year in college. Competition is higher than the UFL too. They talk like they were caught off guard by Chicago having the pick. That was known since like halfway through the 2023 season as Carolina struggled to win games.
Willams dad was doing his impression of Lonzo Ball dad I remember watching interviews when his son was going to be drafted saying statements like his son will bring a championship to the Lakers or that his son is going to be the player that puts another championship ring on the finger of Lebron James. Then saying all three of his sons would be playing for the Lakers. Then coming out and saying if his son did not get drafted by the Lakers he would instead play over in Europe, instead of any other NBA team. What happen he wasn’t drafted by the Lakers, and he played in the NBA after all. Some fathers want what they want but wind up just being happy that their sons are playing in the NBA or NFL after all.
Lonzo Ball was drafted 2nd overall by the Lakers, just like Lavar pushed for.
I don’t blame him. Bears are notorious for lackluster wasted QB talent
As a Bears fan, I echo the previous statements, I can’t blame him. Hopefully this time around we have hit on the right coach.
But yeah Deion and Shedeur needed humbling as we literally write a story about “ Williams’ camp went as far as considering circumventing the draft altogether, consulting with lawyers about ways they could get “around the league’s collective bargaining agreement.” One of the considered options would have seen Williams signing with the United Football League.”
Everyone who was happy Shedeur fell and hoping the kid doesn’t succeed is awfully quiet now or say Caleb did the right thing lmao. If you’re happy about Shedeur and see no problem with Caleb you’re opinion on anything football related is no longer valid relevant and should be ignored and laughed at completely.
If Shedeur was a #1 overall talent he wouldn’t have gotten nearly as much crap. But he’s not. He has backup QB written all over him. Caleb and Shedeur are as different as apples and onions.
He also wasn’t a fifth round QB, and we’ll see about the backup QB stuff. I happen to think that’s way off in the assessment. I think he’s going to be a very solid game manager QB who can win you a lot of games.
Except he IS a fifth round QB.
Sanders was literally mocked as first overall second overall and a top 10 talent going to jets or saints. He was a first round talent based on his on the field performance.
Yet. The NFL felt like Deion and Shedeur and uneducated fans needed to humble sheduer for some reason. But somehow here ppl like mustard tiger are giving Caleb Williams a pass for his arrogant egotistical behavior seeking to literally circumvent the cba to avoid bears drafting him and making outrageous expectations like stock in ownership. But Shedeur having side businesses and using his fame to his advantage off the field hurt your little feelings. Shut up.
You can try to rewrite history but we have the mocks to prove many “experts” expected Shedeur gone in the 1st.
Again if you’re anti Shedeur but support Caleb trying to not go to the bears you’re irrelevant and no one should take you seriously.
Or maybe that was all projection on the part of people who hyped him up so much in college.
Williams was first overall for a reason. He has franchise QB potential.
Shedeur does not. Period.
Williams isn’t a franchise QB. never will be. End of story. Franchise QBs don’t need coaching changes to be successful. They’ll be successful regardless. Franchise QBs carry teams even through bad years they’re still competitive.
He’ll have a Sam Darnold trajectory.
He’ll be a bust like Darnold but may figure it out given the right coaching staff and situation later in his career. But that’s the best outcome for him. Hes just not a franchise QB.
Caleb Williams won a Heisman and balled out at two different schools, both in big time conferences.
There’s no comparison between the two.
“Bailed out two different schools”
Went 6-8 vs ranked opponents didn’t bail anyone out
“Won a heisman”
Caleb Heisman stats
66.6% comp, 4537 yards, 42 TDs 5 ints on 500 attempts
Sanders last season
74% comp, 4134, 37 TDs, 10 ints on 477 attempts
Yeah Heisman is a popularity contest not really a measure of anything else really. Shedeur wasn’t far off from Williams “Heisman” numbers last year womp womp.
I said balled out. Reading comprehension is your friend.
He was the best QB in college football at two different schools.
Shedeur IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. It’s that simple. He has a superstar ego without the superstar talent.
We’re only even talking about him because of who his father is and how well they’ve done marketing him as something he isn’t.
Caleb objectively had a better year, against far better competition. Dismissed.
My bad thought it said bailed. He didn’t even ball out lmao. You call going 11-3 and 8-5 balling out with a 6-8 vs ranked opponents record? Lmao no. Throwing the ball 500 times you’re bound to put stats. Stats are meaningless if they don’t translate to wins when it matters. Great for fantasy owners. Not so much teams.
Balled out so hard he lost to 14 ranked Tulane in the cotton bowl and won a meaningless bowl game in the holiday bowl. Balled out lmao.
“Best QB” he wasn’t even the best QB in he nation in 2023. Jayden Daniels. Using your “heisman” standard Daniels was better than Williams in 2023
I’m not happy about either one, nor am I mad, but I do agree that there should some consistency. Deion being much more spotlight seeking obviously plays into it, and it was natural to project dislike for his and his son’s arrogance into the reactions to the fall, but I do agree to an extent that there is some similarity.
So, on that I do agree-both had fathers who tried, to differing extents, allegedly to influence their sons’ landing spots. However, I will say that there are differences. The differences, of course, also encompass where each was taken. Sanders, at that point, would have gone anywhere, with whomever would take him. Williams had a lot more stock as the first overall pick. Carl Williams also was less in the spotlight than Deion. Caleb, while there were a lot of rumors about his entitled attitude, had quite a bit fewer allegations of such than Shedeur did, and with fewer examples. I’m sure than played into it. Since we’re talking about public perception here, public perception does matter in this case. Shedeur was perceived as aloof, demanding, and uncoachable; Caleb was perceived by some as just a bit of a brat and maybe soft. Again, talking perception here, as we don’t know either of these guys, but Shedeur’s image was worse going into the draft than Williams’ was.
Personally, I think that there’s a point where you do have to be somewhat submissive to the team that’s giving you millions to play, whether or not you like their management, but I also see why a family would try to get to a better spot legacy-wise. There’s a balance in my mind, but at the end of the day, I think that you need to prove something before you start making demands, and in the draft, nobody’s proven anything yet.
Williams is under team control for five years without any tags as a first overall pick, but on the other hand, he’s getting paid a lot more than the other picks. If he gets tagged, he’ll get more because of his position. Teams also usually take the best care of their QBs, especially a homegrown first overall franchise hopeful. So, yes, he could be under team control for awhile, but he’s getting a lot in return to compensate. To some extent, Carl Williams should weigh that before rejecting a team outright or trying ludicrous ideas like taking an ownership or stock percentage or whatever before his son even takes a snap. As we saw last year, Caleb still has plenty to prove as a pro before making any sort of demands. Having a better staff this year (and possibly a weaker division) should help.
The obvious thing to do was to fire Eberlose and bring in a new coach. However when the Bears asked Johnson he didn’t want the job the first year of Caleb. He wanted to stay. So Poles didn’t hire Eberlose even though everybody thought he did. McCaskey hand picked 3 guys and gave Poles a choice. So he picked one and kept him for 3 painful years. Then, Keep the moron for 1 year and try to get the guy you want next year, Or somebody else. There were no good candidates to be Head Coach so you roll the dice and hope for the best. Obviously it was painful to watch and pretty painful for Caleb too. But now the Bears Hierarchy was hired the right way basically. The President gets his GM, The GM gets his coach he really wants and they get the coach players the coach wants. Pretty much something the Bears haven’t done since Jim Finks was alive. Getting a new stadium, and hopefully losing the morons that run the Chicago Park district for landlords in the process. As bad as the situation was it’s been turned around in one year, Which I didn’t think was possible. It’s really quite amazing for us Bears fans to watch. Now just give Poles an extension to match Johnson’s and lets play some football. Unfortunately somehow the Bears always get the shaft as they should have a last place schedule and actually ended up with the 5th hardest one in the league. Can’t have everything I guess.
Your points are right, especially about proving himself but as a #1 draft pick, it didnt hurt to get as much compensation as he could, with a rookie scale that is ridiculous if youre not a top 15 pick.
You already know that was more about people’s hatred of Deion for some odd reason even though he’s one of the greatest players of all time and has the same values as most of the coaches they revere. I always tell FSU fans this. He was Bobby Bowden’s favorite player for a reason. He’s just the updated version of him coaching wise and has brought many of his principles to team building, yet those same people who loved Bobby hate him.
Deion been hated all his life for some reason
Even back when he was doing baseball and football at the same time fans hated him for it even though he literally was flying red eyes trying to make it to games to help the city of Atlanta in two sports.
It’s a weird sad stupid hatred that nobody can explain why they hate Deion. They just do.
It’s mental illness or something is what it is. The funny thing is that Bo Jackson was doing the same thing at the same time, and if you poll the same people, I’d guarantee you 9 out of 10 of them love him while hating Deion. Watch an entertainment product and get upset at an entertainer for entertaining. It’s quite bizarre but par for the course from NFL fans. It’s just like I talk about how he runs his college program is pretty much in line with Bobby Bowden’s way of running FSU back in the day, but the same people who hate Deion would be like love Bobby. Mental illness.
It’s Deions personality. He has no one to blame for his actions other than himself. Not that he cares. Negative attention is still attention and money works the same whether people like you or not.
So what about his personality is so bad? Because he doesn’t talk like Mike Tomlin like he’s from the military, who fans seem to hate too? I need this to be quantified for me in what exactly about his personality is so terrible. Like I said, if you pay attention a little bit, Deion falls on the old school coaching spectrum with his coaching approach as these coaches that regularly get their wood polished by the fans and these pundits.
He’s obviously, 100%, about himself. All the time. Everything is a show. You see him talk, and you don’t know if you are seeing a TV show, or a person talking.
Most people don’t like carnival barkers.
Except his former coaches, his players, his former teammates, his former coworkers at the NFL network all say he’s not all about himself, but you don’t like him because of the way he talks. Good judge of character there. Meanwhile, Bill Parcells called his best receiver she for a whole year, a guy who was instrumental in getting his team to the Super Bowl, and I bet you’re a big fan. Also loves to talk. GFOH with this made up BS.
Assume much? I think parcells is also an AHole. And teammates or not, Sanders PUBLIC persona is that if a carnival barker. You asked why people don’t like him. I answered. You didn’t like those facts and started the nonsequitor.
Maybe I should quote you: “GFOH with your made up BS.”
It just shocks me that more Bears fans aren’t calling for Poles’ head after letting Flus anywhere near this kid. Fixing it a year later is better than nothing but hopefully it isn’t too little to late after Caleb got his head beat in all year. Should have also spent big on OL last year to protect him but Poles is an idiot who believes he knows better because he was a former one.
It’s the Bears. And Bears fans. They’ve won the offseason five years in a row. And won less than 20 games combined in the real season in that time. Do you really expect anything different?
Successful teams hire the GM, who brings in the Head Coach, who then brings in the QB. In that order. The Bears are still out of whack.
Eberflus wasn’t Poles hire actually, pretty nuts but Eberflus was hired on Jan 27th, Poles Jan 25th, it’s been said that Eberflus was the candidate of the Bears circle of trust higher ups, and it can most likely be assumed that Poles was given Eberflus and not allowed to really do anything until either his contract ran up or the unbelieveable scenario where Eberflus was so bad he would become 1st Bears HC to be fired mid season
Remarkably the latter happened.
So, Ryan Poles get’s a 2nd chance, Flus wasn’t his guy, Ben Johnson is though.
I doubt Poles had any choice in the matter. Bear fans can tell you this. Warren and Poles finally seemed to get to make this choice without any input from the McCaskeys or Ted Phillips, so we’ll see how this goes.
I can certainly see why no one would want their kid to play for Eberflus. But William’s father sounds like the kind of ‘dad-ager’ that turned into an interfering nightmare that only makes it harder for his son. These kind of controlling know it alls have ruined more sons than they’ve ever helped. And you can see it at all levels of every sport.
Bears fans spent all of last offseason eating the propaganda like pigs at the trough. If there’s anyone to direct your anger towards, it’s yourself, for being so gullible.
If he was trying that hard to not be on the team, why didn’t they entertain trade offers and take a different qb that will want the challenge to play for them? There were 4 others that went 1st round and they could’ve gotten more picks trading down and still taking one.
Cause there’s no guarantee you get an Eli manning situation where Chargers got Philip Rivers Giants got Eli Manning and both happened to wind up with HOF caliber QBs.
You could have also wound up with Zach Wilson Trey Lance Justin Fields Mac Jones draft
2 out of the other 4 1st round qbs were playoff rookies, Maye wasn’t Richardson bust bad, and JJ got hurt and missed his rookie year. Trading down and getting more picks weather it be a 3rd rounder best case for moving down 1 pick to a boatload for moving down much more, any of those 4 outcomes might’ve been better than picking a player that never wanted on your team.
This is what I don’t get. Was their evaluation that far off that they couldn’t see that there wasn’t huge daylight between these prospects similar to the Roethlisberger, Manning, Rivers draft? They fixated on him like he was a once in a generation prospect and the others were scrubs when even the consensus from everyone was that there was at least three first round QBs and more than likely four or five, which ended up being actually six. They could have fleeced Washington just to move up one pick as there was clearly tension between Daniels camp and Peters because of past comments made about him before he became a GM, and Kingsbury made it no secret he wanted to work with Williams again, not to mention the hometown angle. Like the Bears took the flawed view that they were a QB away and that Williams was that much better to elevate them to a Super Bowl contender, which is asinine if you think about their roster versus Detroit’s roster or even the Vikings and Packers. Like they’re clearly four out of four in that division on every front, not to mention when you measure them to other teams in the conference. They had a chance to stock up their team with little downside and blew it.
Sure the QB crop looks promising but reports were it was a pretty underwhelming QB draft.
Course reports can be wrong but if you look back at info and posts coming out prior to draft the industry wasn’t high on QBs coming out outside Williams and possibly Daniels.
Coming into the process, everyone agreed that there were three first round QBs minimum. Moving down one pick would have gotten you one of the three. Again, did their evaluations put this guy so far out in front of the other two? Because I didn’t see it, and I said it at the time a year ago that Daniels was better. But even if you didn’t see it that way, you still would have gotten one of the three. It just feels like they fixated on him and were taking him hell or high water. Even worse, they didn’t seem to have any plan for him. It was just he’s the best QB in this draft, and he’ll make us a Super Bowl contender, which is absolutely asinine to put any rookie QB in that situation.
I didn’t like it when Eli did it and glad it didn’t come to it with Williams. I wouldn’t have put it in a book that’s for sure but I think a father with a son that age going into a life changing experience is likely to be involved in some capacity although I think it should be very private and in the background so not to give off the appearance he’s not his own man given he’s about to become the leader of a franchise and a millionaire. I do think the Bears made all the right moves this offseason to squash the reservations about being a Bear. If he fails now it’s likely he’d have failed with another organization but with Johnson I think they’ll take a good step forward. I wouldn’t put him on Sean McVay level just yet but I think he’s got that kind of potential to have a potent offense year in and year out
Williams has all the tools to win games now . If he doesn’t, than him and his old man can take a Uber to o’Hare and leave town . No more excuses.
Poorly run organizations or teams that tank get rewarded with top draft picks, when the well run teams get all the lower picks but continue to win, they’re rewarded for their winning by getting low picks they have to hit on perfectly, while crappy teams that can’t develop top picks ruin players, I don’t think it’s fair to the bottom half of the teams that try, pay, and actually have an organization that is winning…..I think it’s time the NFL goes to a lottery draft pick system
Did you not just see what happened in the NBA? The worst run team just got the first pick in what looks like a rigged lottery. There’s definitely problems with the NFLs system but God draft lotteries are terrible.
Haven’t watched the NBA, have you? Lottery assures you nothing. The same horrible teams pick top of the draft all the time and blow it with players they draft. Case in point, Tyrese Haliburton was a Sacramento King, basically the Browns of the NBA, and he’s now led his team to the Eastern Conference Finals in back-to-back years. Yet they couldn’t build around him as a piece in a winning organization when they had him. Incompetence is incompetence.
No. Stop it.
The draft is fine how it is.
When Eli did it he was a loser crybaby, too.
Times have changed, Bear Down, this old news.
I said that would be a disaster fit, and it’s proving out to be. I’d bet money against him signing a second contract there.
Oh please.. All that’s been “proven” is that they had a $hit head coach and no O-line. You can make a better thought out assessment of him after this season with a revamped O-line and an entirely new coaching staff.
You think a coach is going to change what your organization is with all the same people in power, i.e. the owners? They’ve had one successful regime in 40 years, and Lovie Smith at the end of the day only had two playoff seasons. It’s a bad fit because look at that article. What he wants to be isn’t what the Bears have ever been. They’re a lunch pail, defense as their identity team. You’ll see and be agreeing with me in three years when you’re ready to move on from him and bring in the next sucker because your expectation that he turn you into the Packers at QB the last 35 years still hasn’t happened. I said it then, that team needed to keep building the squad out, trade the pick. Daniels was better (said it then, not in hindsight), and the daylight between him and other QB prospects in that draft wasn’t worth passing on getting a haul to basically stock your team to catch up to the Lions who have all stars at every level of their squad due to great drafting for five years. But NFL fans believe in the savior QB when I could probably name on one hand the actual savior QBs who have ever gone #1 (P. Manning, Elway, and I’m not thinking of another).
I’m saying this now- If he has a strong year you’ll be nowhere on here because you had it all wrong “then”.
I won’t have to hide after the Bears go 6-11 nor would I anyway. I don’t think he’s the problem. Your organization is, has been, and will continue to be.
I’ve been saying it since Williams was at Oklahoma…He isn’t really than good and last year he was terrible…Part Team (Head Coach, Front Office, OL, Receivers / tight ends) but for the most part Williams and his decision making was brutal. Clock Management was laughable and how he threw his teammates under the bus was exactly what you would expect from and insecure, coddled, entitled player that was exposed for the fraud he was. Hopefully Ben Johnson will turn this kid around and Bears fans actually have a QB they can root for instead of scream at.
When you have had no all 1st team all pro QB’s since the 50’s and only 2 Pro Bowl QB’s McMahon in 1985, and 2018 when Trubisky was a last-minute replacement. Nope this is a Chicago management problem starting with ownership, who hire front office personal, who then hire Head Coaches. Williams had every right about being concern going to play for the Bears. History don’t lie it’s played out that way since the Super Bowl in 85.
Now this ownership has hired another HC with another new staff of coaches, brought in a OL, have the Bears a better team only time will tell and how much of a lease do they give the new HC and does Williams get better under him only time will tell if the Bear management lets it happen.
I’m a Bears fan and given Eberflus/Waldron I would have tried to avoid going to the Bears also. Everyone knew that Eberflus was on the hot seat and was a defensive minded coach. Create to the Bears moving on and if Johnson can’t get the best out of Williams ability than maybe his ability was over estimated.
It wasn’t that he was a defensive minded coach. It was that he seems to be a buffoon. Like their team literally melted down in basic two-minute drill type situations repeatedly last year on simple stuff like getting plays in. Williams never led USC to anything meaningful, so I had no idea why all the fawning over him, but it is what it is.
As a Bears fan the report doesn’t phase me at all. If I was a QB, I’d probably want to avoid the Bears,Jets,Browns. I think the Bears has changed Caleb and his fathers perception with all the moves they made to help him succeed and now he really has a chance to be the best QB the Bears have ever had( at least modern era) I actually like that he talked to Archie Manning and isn’t happy a team can hold a player for 8 years with franchise tags. Shows a lot of confidence. Bears brought in Ben Johnson to hopefully unleash his potential.
Oh and as a QB coming into the league I would want to throw to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison too, made Sam Darnold look like Joe Montana
Could be worse, he could of been a Jet
Big ol nothing burger, other than to stir up a pot and get the anti Williams people creaming their shorts.