Caleb Williams and his dad looked for ways to avoid him getting drafted
by Bears, according to book
[May 16, 2025]
By The Associated Press
Caleb Williams wanted nothing to do with the Chicago
Bears as last year's NFL draft approached, and the 2022 Heisman Trophy
winner and his father looked into how they could have a hand in which
team selected him, according to a book to be published in September. |
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles, left, speaks with Carl
Williams, father of Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams,
second from right, at the school's NFL football pro day, Wednesday,
March 20, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, File) |
|
In “American Kings: A Biography of the
Quarterback,” author and ESPN reporter Seth Wickersham describes
how Williams and his father, Carl Williams, asked attorneys to
find a workaround to the NFL's collective bargaining agreement,
explored signing with the United Football League and considered
publicly ripping Chicago and the Bears to create an untenable
situation for the team.
“Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die,” Carl Williams
said ahead of the draft, according to the book.
The book’s account of the Williamses’ pre-draft disdain for the
Bears was reported by ESPN on Thursday.
Caleb Williams indicated to confidantes he didn't think he could
work with then-offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Bears
general manager Ryan Poles told Williams, “We’re drafting you no
matter what.”
Williams resigned himself to being drafted by the Bears, and
after a pre-draft visit to the team facility, he believed he
could help lead a turnaround.
“I can do it for this team,” Caleb told his dad, according to
the book. “I’m going to go to the Bears.”
Williams threw for 20 touchdowns, was intercepted six times and
took a league-high 68 sacks as a rookie. The Bears had a 10-game
losing streak and finished 5-12. Waldron was fired nine games
into the season and coach Matt Eberflus was let go after the
12th game.
The Bears hired Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
as their head coach in January. Declan Doyle, who had been an
assistant with New Orleans and Denver, is the new offensive
coordinator.
Wickersham's book is being published by Hyperion Avenue, a
division of ESPN's parent company, the Walt Disney Co.
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