Getty Quarterback Caleb Williams of the USC Trojans.
Speculation swirled early in the offseason as to whether USC quarterback Caleb Williams was interested in playing for the Chicago Bears and/or if he would try to somehow circumvent that outcome if the team drafted him with the first overall pick.
New reporting on Wednesday, April 3, suggested the star prospect may end up in Chicago after all.
“Potential No. 1 overall pick #USC QB Caleb Williams made his Top 30 facility visit to the #Bears today, sources say,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport posted to X. “He was in town for dinner last night, as well. Likely his only visit. As Chicago hones in…”
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk took Williams’ confirmed meeting in Chicago and Rapoport’s report that it will likely be the quarterback’s only one as a joint indicator that Williams will not attempt to strong arm the franchise into drafting a different player or trading him after making him the No. 1 overall pick.
“This implies that Williams apparently won’t be trying to avoid the Bears and play elsewhere,” Florio wrote on Wednesday. “Despite the fact that the Bears have a defensive head coach and an offensive coordinator who would parlay Williams’ success into a head-coaching job — forcing Williams to get accustomed to a new offensive coordinator. And, possibly, so on and so on and so on as Williams thrives and offensive coordinators say, ‘See ya!'”
Caleb Williams May Prefer to Play for Team Other Than Bears but Isn’t Likely to Say So
GettyFormer USC quarterback and top NFL draft prospect Caleb Williams.
Florio stopped short of claiming that recent events ensure Williams wants to play for Chicago more than any other contender for his services, such as his hometown Washington Commanders. However, Florio strongly implied that the highly touted prospect’s decisions indicate he won’t make any such fact public knowledge.
“Williams is in a tough spot. Even if he’d rather play for another team, how can he pull it off without becoming a pariah?” Florio continued. “Media and fans would clobber him if he dared to say he’d rather play for another team. If he plays for the Bears, he’ll need to hope it works out better for him than it did for their first-round pick from 2021, who [the team] traded to the Steelers last month for a future sixth-round pick.”
Florio was referring to Justin Fields. A previous management and coaching regime in Chicago drafted Fields with the No. 11 overall pick in 2021. He started there for three seasons before general manager Ryan Poles dealt him to Pittsburgh in March.
Caleb Williams Could Join Much Better Bears Team This Season Than QB Justin Fields Did in 2021
GettyUSC quarterback and presumptive No. 1 pick of the Chicago Bears Caleb Williams.
One difference between Fields’ and Williams’ situations is clear: Williams could be walking into a far better situation than the one Fields entered three years ago.
Poles engineered a trade of the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft with the Carolina Panthers that netted Chicago wide receiver DJ Moore and the draft selection the team will use to pick Williams first overall. Poles also traded a fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers in March for wideout Keenan Allen, a Pro Bowler in six of his last seven campaigns.
Furthermore, the Bears signed Pro Bowl running back D’Andre Swift in free agency and locked up tight end Cole Kmet through 2027. And Chicago also holds the rights to the ninth overall pick this year, where a receiver like Rome Odunze could drop depending on how the draft dominos fall ahead of that spot.