Caleb Williams wanted nothing to do with the Chicago Bears as last year’s NFL draft approached, and the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and his father looked into how they could have a hand in which team selected him, according to a book to be published in September.
In “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,” author and ESPN reporter Seth Wickersham describes how Williams and his father, Carl Williams, asked attorneys to find a workaround to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, explored signing with the United Football League and considered publicly ripping Chicago and the Bears to create an untenable situation for the team.
“Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die,” Carl Williams said ahead of the draft, according to the book.
The book’s account of the Williamses’ pre-draft disdain for the Bears was reported by ESPN on Thursday.
Caleb Williams indicated to confidantes he didn’t think he could work with then-offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Bears general manager Ryan Poles told Williams, “We’re drafting you no matter what.”
Williams resigned himself to being drafted by the Bears, and after a pre-draft visit to the team facility, he believed he could help lead a turnaround.
“I can do it for this team,” Caleb told his dad, according to the book. “I’m going to go to the Bears.”
Williams threw for 20 touchdowns, was intercepted six times and took a league-high 68 sacks as a rookie. The Bears had a 10-game losing streak and finished 5-12. Waldron was fired nine games into the season and coach Matt Eberflus was let go after the 12th game.
The Bears hired Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their head coach in January. Declan Doyle, who had been an assistant with New Orleans and Denver, is the new offensive coordinator.
Wickersham’s book is being published by Hyperion Avenue, a division of ESPN’s parent company, the Walt Disney Co.
