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New book reveals Caleb Williams didn't want to play for Chicago Bears

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated May 15, 2025 1:07 PM ET

The Chicago Bears can't have nice things, apparently. And they almost didn't have Caleb Williams at quarterback, according to a soon-to-release book, "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback," authored by Seth Wickersham.

According to Wickersham's book, Williams and his father, Carl Williams, attempted to brainstorm ways to avoid Chicago in the 2024 NFL Draft, including playing one season in the United Football League.

"I don't want my son playing for the Bears," Williams told several agents in 2024, according to a new report from ESPN.

ESPN's report continued:

"Looking for a way around the league's collective bargaining agreement, Carl Williams spoke with Archie Manning, who helped Eli Manning assert a measure of control over his eventual team in 2004. He also met with labor lawyers and agents -- and even considered whether his son could sign with the United Football League and become an unrestricted NFL free agent in 2025 to be able to pick a team. In addition to the draft process, Carl Williams vented about the rookie wage scale, which could lock his son into the team that drafted him for up to eight years. He calculated hundreds of millions of lost market-value income."

The run-up to the 2024 NFL Draft included speculation about Williams and his camp potentially trying to attack the collective bargaining agreement, but there was never any real concern about the former USC star's willingness to play for the Bears. Instead, Williams said all the right things in the pre-draft process and even let out an audible scream when he walked across the draft stage donning a Bears hat in Detroit.

It just took a while to get there, apparently.

ESPN's report revealed that Williams actually preferred the Minnesota Vikings after meeting with head coach Kevin O'Connell, which is sure to go over great with Bears fans.

But, can you really blame Caleb Williams? He's a smart guy; he understands quarterback history. And Chicago was fresh off two failed first-round quarterbacks -- Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields -- who both suffered because of the organizational failure around them.

Ultimately, Williams embraced the idea of becoming a Chicago Bear after a pre-draft visit to Halas Hall.

"I can do it for this team," Caleb told his dad, per ESPN. "I'm going to go to the Bears."

Now, one year later, the Bears are one of the most attractive teams a young quarterback like Williams could play for. New head coach Ben Johnson is the game's top play-caller, and his offensive line has been rebuilt into a top unit in the NFC. His cast of skill players rivals the best in the NFL, too.

So, sure. Williams and his dad weren't Bears fans last winter. They didn't want to become another headstone in the Chicago Bears quarterback graveyard. They had every right to have that opinion; the Bears deserve skepticism until they can prove they're capable of supporting a first-round quarterback.

It looks like Ryan Poles has finally figured out how to do that. And the biggest beneficiary of being the Chicago Bears quarterback will, in fact, be Caleb Williams (and his dad).

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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