Caleb Williams Almost Tried to Blow Up NFL Draft to Avoid Getting Picked By Bears

Caleb Williams is set to enter his second season under center for the Chicago Bears, but there were times leading up to last year's NFL draft where Williams and his family strongly considered doing whatever they could to avoid ending up in Chicago.

According to Seth Wickersham, author of the book "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback," Williams's father, Carl, told him prior to the 2024 draft that "Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die."

Wickersham's book, which is set to be published in September, details the lengths which the Williams family, and Carl in particular, went to avoid having Caleb wind up with the Bears.

"I don't want my son playing for the Bears," Carl reportedly told various agents prior to the draft.

Wickersham reports that Carl met with lawyers, agents and even Archie Manning, father of former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, in order to assess the possibility of circumventing the draft. Carl even considered having his son sign for the UFL and enter NFL free agency in 2025 as a means of gaining more control about where Caleb would play.

"Do I want to go there? I don't think I can do it with [former Bears offensive coordinator Shane] Waldron," Williams reportedly said aloud to his confidantes during the pre-draft process.

At one point, Caleb reportedly told his father, "I need to go to the Vikings," though Bears GM Ryan Poles nipped that idea in the bud when he told the family that the team would be selecting him with the No. 1 pick "no matter what."

After a pre-draft visit with the Bears, Caleb's stance began to shift and he started to believe he could help turn around the franchise's fortunes.

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

Chicago stuck to its guns and drafted Williams with the No. 1 pick. They've since had a massive coaching overhaul, bringing in former Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson to serve as head coach, and hiring the young Declan Doyle as their offensive coordinator.

Williams had an up-and-down rookie season in Chicago. He completed 62.5% of his passes while throwing 20 touchdowns and six interceptions, but was also sacked a league-high 68 times and had 10 fumbles. With a new coaching staff around him and a solid group of receiving threats, Williams will hope to take a big step in year two, though it's certainly eye-opening to see just how set he and his family were on not taking his talents to the Bears organization.