Bears Keep Addressing Concerns Caleb Williams Held Before Draft
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - APRIL 25: (L-R) Caleb Williams poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after ... More being selected first overall by the Chicago Bears during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza on April 25, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by)
It's easy to see why the Bears wouldn't have been a dream destination for Caleb Williams in the draft but the franchise is tailoring the future to please its quarterback.
Excepts from the book 'American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback' reveal that Williams and his father Carl Williams plotted how to avoid being selected by Chicago with the first pick in 2024. They considered blasting the team and the city in the media as well as using the United Football League as an alternative to the NFL.
Carl Williams hated how his son had no leverage despite the tools that were celebrated by scouts. Seth Wickersham writes that he weighed a legal challenge to the rookie wage scale, which valued the first overall pick at $26,513,139 over four years.
"The rookie cap is just unconstitutional," Carl Williams told Wickersham. He called the CBA the 'worst in sports history.'
But it appears General Manager Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren were persuasive in a pre-draft visit to Halas Hall. They sold Williams on both the facilities and their commitment to expend the resources necessary for him to lead his teams into the playoffs. Caleb Williams decided to keep his concerns to himself, wrote Wickersham.
His second season with the Bears looks a lot different than his first, when he rarely seemed in sync with D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze while passing for 3541 yards and 20 touchdowns. Williams was sacked 68 times, the most in the NFL since 2002.
Poles and Warren made an unprecedented decision for the franchise, firing defense-oriented head coach Matt Eberflus in mid-season. They replaced him with 39-year-old Ben Johnson, who became the hottest name on the coaching market with his success as Detroit's offensive coordinator.
"I see a chance for greatness here for him,' Johnson said Thursday on Fox Sports' 'The Herd,' hosted by Colin Cowherd. 'He's been communicated that way and he feels the same way. I don't know what's gone on prior to him joining the organization, but he is very proud to be a Chicago Bear. "That's what our conversations have included. He's really excited to get to work right now and be the best version of himself for 2025.'
Williams and the Bears did not comment on the book excerpts, which were published by ESPN Thursday. Williams seems likely to respond when he reports for OTAs next week.
The Bears have never had a quarterback pass for 4,000 yards, a level six quarterbacks reached last season. That list did not include Washington's Jayden Daniels, who threw for only 27 yards more than Williams after being selected with the second pick.
But Daniels also ran for 891 yards and carried the Commanders to two playoff victories, leading to questions about whether the Bears picked the right quarterback.
Both he and the team are determined to erase that perspective. Poles has rebuilt the offensive line that contributed to 68 sacks of Williams in his rookie season and selected pass receivers Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III with first- or second-round picks in the last two drafts.
In the book, Williams criticized the coaching he received during the Bears' chaotic 5-12 season. Passing game coordinator Thomas Brown was promoted to replace Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator on Nov. 12 and then named as interim head coach when Eberflus was fired a week later.
Poles and Johnson have overhauled the coaching staff. Declan Doyle, 28, was named as offensive coordinator — however, Johnson will call plays — former Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett as quarterbacks coach and Press Taylor as pass game coordinator. Robbie Picazo was retained as offensive assistant, quarterbacks and receivers.
The Bears had one of the NFL's youngest quarterback groups in 2024. Second-year backup Tyson Bagent was the most experienced in the room after Brett Rypien was cut at the end of training camp. But Poles signed 37-year-old Case Keenum (one year, $2.25 million) to join Bagent and Austin Reed in the mix.
Williams appears to be excited about getting to work. The NFL, too, seems intrigued. The Bears were given five stand-alone games on the just-released schedule, including a Monday Night Football game at Minnesota in Week 1.
The Bears' offense is set up for success but nothing will come easily in the loaded NFC North. Detroit, Minnesota and Green Bay were a combined 40-11 last season. The first task for Williams and his coaches is to put Chicago in the conversation, then they can pursue Johnson's vision of greatness.
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