Caleb Williams would be excited to come to Chicago. For months, speculation has run amok suggesting Williams would consider forcing his way out of town if the Bears select him with the No. 1 overall pick. But in an interview with Pete Thamel that was published on Wednesday morning, Williams insisted that’s not the case.
“They have a talented team, a talented offense and defense,” Williams told Thamel. “For anyone to be in that situation, I think they'd be excited."
Typically QBs selected with the No. 1 overall pick end up on terrible teams. If a team is so bad that they find themselves atop the draft, and are in the market for a new quarterback, it almost always signals an organization is headed in the wrong direction. That’s why they need to switch things up.
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That’s not the case with the Bears. They have the No. 1 overall pick because the Panthers were terrible in 2023. The Bears are considered a team on the rise with a promising defense and several key players in place on offense, like DJ Moore, Darnell Wright and Cole Kmet. That infrastructure would help any rookie quarterback to make the transition into the NFL.
But Williams’ excitement to play for the Bears goes beyond that infrastructure. He told Thamel he’s heard about Chicago’s dedicated fans. He’s watched videos of Michael Jordan and Walter Payton and come to learn how they’ve become deified in the city.
"I'm 22. I didn't really get to see those players," Williams told Thamel. "As the saying goes, the legends live on. That's my goal of playing football -- it's not money, it's not fame ... it's to be immortal. I want to reach that sense of being a legend. Being at the table ... and having a rightful seat through hard work and energy and time I've put into this game that we all love.
"It's appealing to be in a city like that. With legends that you've looked up to ... reach for the standard they set and try to do anything to get there."
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The hype around Williams has grown and grown and grown since his Heisman season at USC in 2022. Now, he’s the presumptive No. 1 overall pick– whether that’s for the Bears or another team.
We still don’t know definitively whether Williams will come to Chicago, but one thing’s for sure. If Williams does win a Super Bowl for the Bears, there’s no doubt he will become an instant legend.