By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
BigPaulSportsBigPaulSports
Notification Show More
Latest News
Roger Penske 1-on-1: Alex Palou's dominance, new car coming, Will Power's future
Roger Penske 1-on-1: Alex Palou’s dominance, new car coming, Will Power’s future
Game Analysis
How to watch Paige Bueckers' WNBA debut with the Dallas Wings
How to watch Paige Bueckers’ WNBA debut with the Dallas Wings
Game Analysis
2025 MLB home run leader odds: Can Shohei Ohtani challenge Aaron Judge?
2025 MLB home run leader odds: Can Shohei Ohtani challenge Aaron Judge?
Game Analysis
2025 NFL Christmas Games: Schedule, teams, how to watch
2025 NFL Christmas Games: Schedule, teams, how to watch
Game Analysis NFL
2025 NHL Stanley Cup, postseason odds: Oilers favored, Hurricanes second
2025 NHL Stanley Cup, postseason odds: Oilers favored, Hurricanes second
Game Analysis
Aa
  • Big Paul Sports
  • Services
  • Game Analysis
  • Free Picks
  • Premium Content
  • Registration
  • Member Login
Reading: Caleb Williams sought ways to avoid getting drafted by Bears, per new book
Share
Aa
BigPaulSportsBigPaulSports
  • Big Paul Sports
  • Services
  • Game Analysis
  • Free Picks
  • Premium Content
  • Registration
  • Member Login
Search
  • Big Paul Sports
  • Services
  • Game Analysis
  • Free Picks
  • Premium Content
  • Registration
  • Member Login
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
BigPaulSports > Blog > Game Analysis > Caleb Williams sought ways to avoid getting drafted by Bears, per new book
Game AnalysisNFL

Caleb Williams sought ways to avoid getting drafted by Bears, per new book

BigP
Last updated: 2025/05/15 at 9:07 PM
BigP Published May 15, 2025
Share
Caleb Williams sought ways to avoid getting drafted by Bears, per new book
SHARE

Contents
What will success look like for Caleb Williams in Year 2? Is all the pressure on Caleb Williams after Bears drafted Colston Loveland and more?

Caleb Williams is fully entrenched as the Chicago Bears‘ starting quarterback, entering his second season with the franchise. However, if he and his family had their initial say, Williams might have been playing quarterback elsewhere in 2025.

Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, Williams and his family sought ways to potentially circumvent the draft process, going as far as consulting with lawyers to find a loophole in the collective bargaining agreement and weighing the idea of joining the UFL instead, according to the upcoming book “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback.”

In a direct quote from the book, Caleb Williams’ father, Carl, told author Seth Wickersham that “Chicago is the place that quarterbacks go to die.” Additionally, Williams had also questioned his fit with then-Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron before the team took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, according to the book. 

Other findings from “American Kings” surrounding Williams include the quarterback’s desire to be drafted by the Minnesota Vikings following a meeting with head coach Kevin O’Connell and considering an attack plan to get the Bears to trade the No. 1 overall pick. However, Williams relented on that idea. 

ADVERTISEMENT

“I wasn’t ready to nuke the city,” Williams told Wickersham of the possible idea of forcing Chicago to trade the pick it used to select him.

Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, there had been some rumors that Williams and his camp were considering ways to avoid winding up with the Bears, as he had been widely regarded as one of the best quarterback prospects in recent memory. Such a move isn’t unprecedented, but it is rare and hasn’t happened in recent years. John Elway used his baseball background to force a trade to the Denver Broncos after the Indianapolis Colts took him with the No. 1 overall pick in 1983. Bo Jackson refused to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the team took him with the No. 1 pick in 1986, opting to play baseball instead. In 2004, the New York Giants wound up taking Eli Manning with the No. 1 overall pick after his family expressed concerns over playing for the Chargers.

Eventually, Williams said that he’d be OK with ending up with the Bears during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

“If I get drafted by the Bears, I’ll be excited,” Williams told ESPN at the time. “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.

“I’m not pushing any agenda,” Williams added on the possibility of demanding a trade. “At the end of the day, the Bears have the last say. Regardless of how I feel, I’m not pushing an agenda of, ‘Yeah, I want to go. Or no, I don’t want to go.’ I’m excited for whatever comes.”

What will success look like for Caleb Williams in Year 2?

What will success look like for Caleb Williams in Year 2?

While Williams eventually warmed up to the idea of playing for the Bears, his rookie season didn’t go too well. He put up a respectable statline, completing 62.5% of his passes for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions to go with an 87.8 passer rating and 489 rushing yards. However, Williams was sacked a league-leading 68 times and Chicago’s offense ranked last in total yards. It was also 28th in scoring. 

Amid those struggles, the Bears fired Waldron following their Week 10 loss to the New England Patriots. Three weeks later, head coach Matt Eberflus was fired following a devastating loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. That marked the sixth loss for the Bears in a 10-game losing streak, which caused them to finish the year with a 5-12 record after going 4-2 before their bye week.

As the Bears’ season went into free fall, Williams also had some troubles behind the scenes. He told his dad that he often watched film alone because no one instructed him what film to watch, according to “American Kings.”

Is all the pressure on Caleb Williams after Bears drafted Colston Loveland and more?

Is all the pressure on Caleb Williams after Bears drafted Colston Loveland and more?

The Bears hired Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to replace Eberflus as head coach in January, scooping up one of the top coaching commodities in recent years to help Williams in Year 2 and beyond. Johnson’s hiring, plus a busy offseason that saw the Bears remake the interior of their offensive line, has Williams “super excited” for the 2025 season. 

“Being able to be in this position, being able to have a first year the way I did, ups and downs, and then to be able come in here, be as confident as I was last year or possibly even more and to be able to get here with the group that we have, I really can’t wait to get to work with these guys,” Williams told reporters in April. 

“We’ve got a good group of guys personality-wise, and then obviously talent-wise, it speaks for itself, what some of these guys have been able to do, and so many key pieces that we added so far to this team. We’ve meshed well these past two days of introduction, and now today of our first workout, and [we’re] getting after it.”

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

 


recommended


National Football League

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more


in this topic

Sponsored Content

You Might Also Like

Roger Penske 1-on-1: Alex Palou’s dominance, new car coming, Will Power’s future

How to watch Paige Bueckers’ WNBA debut with the Dallas Wings

2025 MLB home run leader odds: Can Shohei Ohtani challenge Aaron Judge?

2025 NFL Christmas Games: Schedule, teams, how to watch

TAGGED: nfl
BigP May 15, 2025
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print

Follow US

Find US on Social Medias
Facebook Like
Twitter Follow
Youtube Subscribe
Telegram Follow
newsletter featurednewsletter featured

Weekly Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

    Popular News
    Ole Miss receives in-state pledge from RB Dear
    NCAASports News

    Ole Miss receives in-state pledge from RB Dear

    BigP BigP March 30, 2024
    Why the Big Ten ditched divisions and protected 11 games to make room for USC and UCLA
    GM: Bears to make QB call as quickly as possible
    Sources: O’Brien returns to Patriots as new OC
    Baker Mayfield to the Rams: Why now, when he’ll play, and what’s next for Mayfield beyond 2022
    - Advertisement -
    Ad imageAd image

    Categories

    • Sports

    About US

    We offer information and tips on US Sports and evernts all over the world.
    Top Categories
    • Game Analysis
    • Free Picks
    • Services
    • Premium Content

    Subscribe US

    Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

      © Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.

      Removed from reading list

      Undo
      Welcome Back!

      Sign in to your account

      Lost your password?