Before Caleb Williams donned a Chicago Bears jersey as the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, he and his inner circle were seriously considering a bold move, one that would have kept him far away from the Windy City.
According to ESPN and excerpts from Seth Wickersham’s upcoming book “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback”, Williams and his father, Carl, actively explored ways to avoid landing in Chicago. Why? In Carl’s blunt words: “Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die.”
The Plan to Bypass the Bears
The Williams camp’s concerns weren’t just about the Bears’ infamous quarterback curse a franchise that has never had a 4,000-yard passer in its 105-year history. There were deeper worries about the team’s structure, coaching instability, and the general environment for nurturing a young quarterback.
Caleb and Carl reportedly even met with legal experts to explore how to sidestep the draft process altogether a radical move. One option on the table? Having Caleb sign with the United Football League (UFL) for a year, delaying his NFL debut and choosing his own path.
The playbook they were eyeing echoed Eli Manning’s famous 2004 power move, when his family maneuvered him away from the Chargers and into a Giants uniform. Carl Williams even reached out to Archie Manning for advice.
Minnesota on His Mind
In a key pre-draft moment, Caleb reportedly had a standout meeting with Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell during the NFL Combine. He left the session telling his father, “I need to go to the Vikings.” Minnesota, however, had the 10th pick far too low to snag Williams without a massive trade-up, which never materialized.
Meanwhile, Bears GM Ryan Poles made it crystal clear to Williams that the team was drafting him no matter what.
A Rocky Rookie Ride
Williams’ rookie season was anything but smooth. Reports suggest he was often left to study film alone, with minimal help from the coaching staff. His skepticism of then-offensive coordinator Shane Waldron may have been justified — Waldron was fired midway through the season after a disastrous 19-3 loss to the Patriots.
Despite the chaos, Williams put together a statistically solid debut:
- 3,541 passing yards
- 20 touchdowns
- 6 interceptions
- 489 rushing yards
That made him just the fourth rookie in NFL history to surpass 4,000 total yards with fewer than 10 picks joining elite company like Jayden Daniels, C.J. Stroud, and Robert Griffin III.
However, Williams was also sacked an NFL-high 68 times — the third-most ever in a single season. So yes, it was as brutal as the Williams family feared.
A New Era in Chicago?
Things may finally be looking up. After firing Matt Eberflus and Waldron, the Bears brought in Ben Johnson — the former Lions offensive coordinator whose offense led the league in scoring from 2022 to 2024 — to be their new head coach.
Speaking about the revelations in Wickersham’s book, Johnson downplayed the drama:
“I see a chance for greatness here for him. He’s excited to get to work and be the best version of himself for 2025.”
If Johnson can finally break the Bears’ quarterback curse, the Williams era might be remembered less for the pre-draft drama and more for rewriting Chicago’s football future.
But it’s clear: before becoming the face of the franchise, Caleb Williams wanted to be anywhere but Chicago.
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