Just hours after ESPN dropped a bombshell report on Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, detailing his initial pre-draft wish to be traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, new Bears head coach Ben Johnson offered a swift response to the story.
Johnson was conveniently scheduled to join “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd on Thursday, and Seth Wickersham’s new book, “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,” became an obvious focal point of the interview.
Per details of the book released by ESPN, Williams and his family weighed circumventing the 2024 NFL Draft to avoid being selected by Chicago with the No. 1 overall pick. Williams had a desire to land in Minnesota after hitting it off with head coach Kevin O’Connell at the NFL Scouting Combine that year, and according to Wickersham: “I need to go to the Vikings,” Williams told his father, Carl.
The family allegedly addressed a potential pre-draft trade to Minnesota with Bears GM Ryan Poles, who “stood firm, telling Williams, ‘We’re drafting you no matter what,'” according to Wickersham.
Williams later embraced Chicago during the pre-draft process and was selected No. 1 overall by the Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft. He now enters the 2025 season under a new regime, led by Johnson, who has no doubt that Williams can be the man to break Chicago’s longstanding “curse” when it comes to franchise quarterbacks.
“You talk about fears. I don’t see it quite the same way,” Johnson told Cowherd, via Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire. “I see this as what a great opportunity that we have to do something that’s never been done. There’s never been a 4,000-yard passer in this franchise and I think Caleb’s going to be the first one. One of many years where he’s going to accomplish that feat. I see a chance for greatness here for him. He’s been communicative that way. He feels the same way. I don’t know about what’s gone on before I joined the organization, but he’s very proud to be a Chicago Bear.
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“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. There’s no question we’ll face adversity. We want to see growth over the course of the season. It’s not going to be linear growth. It’s going to be a little bit of ups and downs along to the way, but we want to see from Game 1 to 17 that we’re getting better as a whole. That’s not just him, that’s us as a team as well. I’m excited. That’s what makes coaching fun. When the hiccups occur, when the adversity strikes, how do we respond to it. That’s when you find out who you are as a man.”
Given the way the 2024 season played out for Chicago under former head coach Matt Eberflus, it’s hard to blame Williams and his family for having concerns about his future. He’s in a much better situation now with offensive guru Johnson calling the shots at Halas Hall, so his reported “dreams” of joining the Vikings are now a thing of the past.
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