Caleb denies he’d be an unhappy Bear
Caleb Williams, whose generational talent and business-minded approach make him an ultra-unique quarterback prospect, won’t try to dictate his NFL landing spot, he said during his first interview since declaring for the draft.
Most expect the Heisman-winning Williams to be drafted in April with the first overall pick, which belongs to the Bears.
Speculation swirled that the 22-year-old would be unhappy landing with a Bears organization notorious for failing to develop quarterbacks, but Williams insists that’s not the case.
“If I get drafted by the Bears, I’ll be excited,” Williams told ESPN in an interview published Wednesday. “If they trade the pick, and I get drafted by someone else, I’m just as excited. Speaking about Chicago, they have a talented team, a talented offense and defense. For anyone to be in that situation, I think they’d be excited.”
Chicago owns the top selection via Carolina, which traded multiple picks, including its 2024 first-rounder, to the Bears last year in order to take quarterback Bryce Young first overall in the 2023 draft.
The Bears now must make a pivotal decision, having previously traded two firstround picks to select quarterback Justin Fields only three years ago. The dual-threat Fields, 24, showed flashes of playmaking over his first three NFL seasons, particularly as a runner, but is 10-28 as a starter and could soon be traded to make room for Williams.
Williams passed for 93 touchdowns against 14 interceptions during three standout collegiate seasons with Oklahoma and USC, earning comparisons to three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes for his abilities to improvise and complete highlight-worthy throws.
The 2022 Heisman Trophy recipient is the most touted quarterback prospect since Trevor Lawrence, who went first overall to the Jaguars in 2021.
Complicating Williams’ case is that he already earned millions of dollars under the NCAA’s revised NIL policy, which began allowing athletes to make money off of their personal brands in 2021.
“It wasn’t like having a college quarterback on your roster,” a source told The Athletic in a report published Wednesday. “It was like having an NFL starting quarterback on your roster.”
Williams’ father, Carl Williams, looms over the draft process with a hands-on approach, reportedly even exploring how his son’s NFL contract could include team equity. Last year, NFL owners voted against “non-family employees” being able to receive such equity.
Williams and his camp declined to hire an agent, deeming it unnecessary, according to The Athletic, because the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement locks firstround picks into four-year rookie contracts with a fifth-year team option.
“The way the system is constructed, you go to the worst possible situation,” Carl Williams told GQ in September. “The worst possible team, the worst organization in the league — because of their desire for parity — gets the first pick. So it’s the gift and the curse.”
With his future in limbo, Fields recently unfollowed the Bears on Instagram, though he said soon afterward on the “St. Brown Bros Podcast” he hopes to remain with Chicago.
Speaking Tuesday at the NFL combine, Bears general manager Ryan Poles vowed to decide quickly on Chicago’s quarterback situation.
“It just depends on what opportunities pop up,” Poles said. “If we go down that road, I want to do right by Justin as well. No one wants to live in gray.”
The quarterback-needy Commanders hold the second overall pick and recently hired Kliff Kingsbury as their offensive coordinator. Kingsbury spent last year as an senior offensive analyst at USC, inviting speculation Washington would try to trade up for Williams, who is from D.C.
“It’d be really cool because it’s so familiar,” Williams told ESPN of going to the Commanders. “My job and my hobby is being at the facility or on the field or watching film.”