Report: Caleb Williams Wanted To Play For Another NFL Team

If Caleb Williams had his way, the Chicago Bears wouldn't have drafted him.

The Bears selected the former USC quarterback with the No. 1 pick in 2024. Nobody expected them to pass on the Heisman Trophy winner, but Williams reportedly hoped to land elsewhere.

Seth Wickersham revealed the quarterback's pre-draft mindset in "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback." According to an ESPN article about the upcoming book, Williams and his family considered drastic measures to avoid the Bears.

After meeting Kevin O'Connell at the NFL Scouting Combine, Williams began fantasizing about playing for the Minnesota Vikings.

"I need to go to the Vikings," Williams told his father, Carl Williams.

The possibility of Chicago forgoing a franchise quarterback and trading down with a division rival from No. 1 to No. 11 (Minnesota instead moved up one spot to draft J.J. McCarthy) was always far-fetched. However, the Williams family explored other avenues to circumvent Chicago.

Carl Williams called Chicago "the place quarterbacks go to die" and told several agents before the draft that he didn't want his son going to the Bears. Caleb Williams wondered if he could flourish under Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. 

Carl Williams consulted Archie Manning, who helped steer Eli Manning away from the Chargers in 2004. He met with labor lawyers about the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, which he considered "unconstitutional" because of a rookie cap on wages.

The father looked into Caleb signing with the United Football League for a year or publicly condemning the Bears to force a trade. However, Carl didn't want to "nuke the city," and Caleb decided he could help lead a franchise revival.