First Job Of Offseason For Caleb Williams Is Convincing People He Wants To Play For The Bears, Not Vikings

This was a strange one Wednesday afternoon when Caleb Williams met with reporters to deliver a statement about not actually wanting to play for the Minnesota Vikings but instead being quite satisfied, happy even, about being on the Chicago Bears.

You read that right.

Williams spent nearly four minutes at the beginning of his talk with reporters acting like a fireman – trying to put out a fire caused by a looming book release.

That book, by ESPN's Seth Wickersham, details how the Williams family wanted to engineer a scheme that would somehow keep the star quarterback and impending No. 1 pick from having to play for the Bears, which held the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 draft and were planning on picking the quarterback.

Caleb Williams did not take falling victim to a prank phone call particularly well. (Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images)

Chicago Is Where ‘Quarterbacks Go To Die’

Williams' father Carl talked to agents about not wanting his son to play for the Bears and even spoke with Archie Manning, who famously devised a plot that kept Eli Manning from going to the San Diego Chargers and instead got him to the New York Giants.

"Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die," Carl Williams says in the book.

Yes, a Chicago fire of sorts.

Book Starts Fire That Could Burn Williams

So, the younger Williams came to his presser armed with verbal buckets and hoses and extinguishers to put out the kindling, knowing that ignoring or deflecting would give oxygen to a full-on blaze when the book is published in September.

"Let's get this started," Williams announced. "First, I'll start off with what everybody would love to ask about, is this whole storm that happened. It wasn't something that we wanted to happen at this point. 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. I think, so far, that's what we've been doing. 

"But, for this to come out, it's been a distraction, so coming up here and talking about it and addressing it is important today."

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on October 24, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Williiams Family Talked Of Escaping Chicago

Williams then launched into his explanation of what actually happened, trying to fill in context where the story has been lacking, but also basically confirming that originally his family indeed talked about how to escape being drafted by the Bears.

"Yeah, I had a good visit at the other place, Minnesota, with (Vikings Head Coach) Kevin O'Connell, a good staff and all of that," Williams said. "Obviously, he just won the coach of the year award and things like that, so, obviously, a good staff and things like that. 

"But, something that keeps getting lost, something that keeps getting, I think, not being addressed the way it needs to be, is the fact that I went on that visit first, then came here, and then after I came here, I went back home, talked to my dad, and all of the things that were supposed to be these big things that everybody's been talking about recently -- one, never happened, in the sense of they were all thoughts, they were all ideas. 

"I think if you're in the situation, I think if your son or daughter, anybody, is in the situation to be in that position, I think you think about all of the options. You look at it, the history and the facts and all these different things, and those are thoughts that go throughout your head in those situations. All of those are thoughts."

Williams Wants To Lift The Bears

So, yes, the Williams family wanted to avoid Chicago as desperately as airline travelers try to avoid O'Hare layovers in January. But here's the context:

"Then, after I came on my visit here, it was a deliberate answer, and the deliberate and determined answer that I had, is that I wanted to come here," Williams said.

So what changed the quarterback's mind? What shut down all the talk about ripping the Bears and bailing on the Bears before it actually went into effect?

"It's a challenge to be able 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, through all of what happened last year and previous years, I think that was enticing. 

"I think that was something that was glaring to me, that I want to come here and be the guy and be a part and be a reason why the Chicago Bears turned this thing around."

So, Williams would have everyone believe the challenge of making the Bears great again was his motivation. 

Caleb Williams' new home will make you put a football in your kids' hand as soon as you posisbly can. (Getty Images)

Williams Wanted Help Watching Film

Williams is also quoted in his chapter of the book as complaining about not receiving instruction about how to watch film from last year's coaching staff. And, yes, that happened, too. 

But, again, Williams said that issue requires more context.

"That was a funny one that came out," Williams said. "It wasn't that I didn't know how to watch film, it was more or less the sense of learning ways to watch film and be more efficient, learning ways to pick up things better. 

"That was a funny one that came out, in context, and how I was trying to portray it, it didn't get portrayed that way. It wasn't that I didn't know how to watch film, it was trying to figure out the best ways and more efficient ways so that I can watch more film, I can gather more information …"

Again, the context explains the full story but doesn't contradict the book. Williams did indeed want more help watching tape and didn't get it.

With that, Williams picked up his bucket and hose and extinguisher and left, hoping the fire this book threatens doesn't burn him too much.