Caleb Williams Addresses Claim He Didn’t Want to Play for the Bears

The 2nd-year quarterback broke his silence regarding a report on his father saying, ‘Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die.’

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throws against the Lions in Detroit on Nov. 17, 2024. Carlos Osorio/AP Photo

Second-year Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams recently broke his silence on a claim that he didn’t want to join the team before the 2024 draft when he went No. 1.

Seth Wickersham wrote that Williams’s father, Carl, didn’t want his son to get drafted by the Bears at No. 1—a detail that came out in Wickersham’s new book, “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback.”  Caleb Williams, a former Heisman Trophy winner at USC and highly touted prospect, put that claim to rest on Wednesday.

“I wanted to come here and be the guy and be a part and be a reason why the Chicago Bears turn this thing around,” Williams told reporters. “The most important thing is that I wanted to be here. I love being here. I love my teammates.”

Williams said the claim in the book has become a distraction in recent weeks. ESPN released an article on May 15 about Wickersham’s book and included the quote about Williams’s father.

“Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die,” Carl Williams told Wickersham.

The Bears haven’t had a Hall of Fame quarterback or regular Pro Bowl quarterback since the 1950s. Bears fans went wild this month over social media posts about Chicago producing a pope before a 4,000-yard passer.

“It wasn’t something that we wanted to happen at this point,” Williams said about his father’s comment in the book. “We’re focused on the present, we’re focused on now, we’re focused on trying to get this ship moving in the right direction.”

In addition, Williams said that he owned his decision to accept the Bears’ drafting him with the top pick in light of his father’s statement. However, Williams didn’t minimize his father’s thoughts on the matter.

“Actually, I shut my dad down quite a bit,” Williams said.

“He has ideas and he’s a smart man and so I listen, I always listen. I’m very fortunate to be in this position in the sense of playing quarterback but also very fortunate to have a very strong-minded father.

“We talk very often, my mom and my dad are my best friends, so being able to have conversations with them to understand that everything they say is also portrayed on me. He cares so much about me and my future, and we have been along this journey so long together, all he wants is the best for me.

“Love him to death and things like that, super fortunate to have him. We have talked about it. Understanding that there’s a right place and a right time and there are times that there is not.”

Williams didn’t turn around the Bears in year one, even though he had a 62.5 percent completion rate for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns, plus 489 yards rushing. The Bears went 5–12 in a loaded NFC North and landed the No. 10 pick in the draft, which led to the selection of former Michigan tight end Colston Loveland.

Besides having a big new target, Williams will also work under a new head coach, Ben Johnson, who came over from the Detroit Lions after his stint as an offensive coordinator. Williams also has new Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle working with him, and Williams wants to keep building on the process he entered in 2024.

“It’s a challenge to come in here and try and turn it around,” Williams said. “That was the main goal of all of that. Through all of what was going on and all that happened last year and previous years, I think that was enticing.”