QB Caleb Williams and family tried to avoid being drafted by the Bears, new book reveals
Caleb Williams and his family openly expressed concern over the quarterback going to Chicago before the Bears drafted him in 2024, according to a new book.
Leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb's father, Carl Williams, told ESPN's Seth Wickersham, author of "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback," of their lack of interest in the Windy City.
"Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die," Carl said.
Caleb also saw a bad fit in Chicago, saying, "Do I want to go there? I don't think I can do it with [former Bears offensive coordinator Shane] Waldron."
I read the Caleb Williams article about him and his dad not wanting the #Bears to draft him initially.
- Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) May 15, 2025
People will jump to conclusions, even if it mentions the old coaching staff that's no longer in Chicago. This is the only thing I really care about. pic.twitter.com/G3vbMlT2sm
The Bears selected Williams with the No. 1 draft pick, and the Bears ended up firing Shane Waldron in November before firing head coach Matt Eberflus.
The book is set to publish in September. It details stories from quarterbacks from high school, college, the NFL and on through retirement. Among the subjects are greats John Elway, Johnny Unitas, Warren Moon, members of the Manning family and Steve Young. Current players Drake Maye and Kirk Cousins are also featured.
In the book, Carl Williams unraveled how their family tried to circumvent the NFL Draft. Wickersham writes about how the Williams family consulted lawyers to find a way around the NFL's collective bargaining agreement and considered signing with the United Football League.
According to Wickersham, Carl's concern came from the Bears not drafting a star signal-caller since the 1980s. Their recent draft selections in Mitchell Trubisky and Justin Fields also did not live up to expectations.
"I don't want my son playing for the Bears," Williams told several agents in 2024.
On top of the draft process, Carl slammed the rookie wage scale and how it could keep Caleb where he gets drafted for up to eight years.
"The rookie cap is just unconstitutional," Carl told Wickersham before calling the CBA the "worst piece of s*** I've ever read. It's the worst in sports history."
At the end of the 2024 NFL scouting combine, Caleb met with the Minnesota Vikings to promising results. However, the Bears drafted the USC product with the first overall pick.
Wickersham noted how the Williams family thought of publicly attacking the Bears and the city of Chicago to try and force a trade. Concerned that the team would refuse to trade him regardless and cause a worse situation, Caleb told Wickersham, "I wasn't ready to nuke the city."
Caleb's attitude toward the team eventually changed after visiting the team's facility.
"I can do it for this team," Caleb told his father. "I'm going to go to the Bears."
The rookie completed 351 of 562 passes for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns as the Bears with a 5-12 record.