Much has been made about whether or not the Bears are a good landing spot for Caleb Williams– or really any other QB– after Colin Cowherd suggested, then walked back, the idea that Williams might not want to come to Chicago.
In an interview with NBC Sports Chicago on Wednesday however, NFL Insider Jay Glazer said he told Williams’ camp to set aside any apprehension they have about the Bears. In Glazer’s mind, the opportunity to play for the Bears goes beyond football.
“I told his people, you have a chance to go to Chicago, go to Chicago,” Glazer said. “If you win in Chicago, they will erect bridges for you, streets for you, tunnels for you. Are you kidding me? You'll be forever golden in that city, and it's a great city.
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“You want to go to a place like Chicago. How would you not want to go to a place like Chicago? Chicago is one of those rare places, man, where you have a chance to change your life forever by being engrained in that city.”
Considering Mike Ditka costumes are still a staple in Chicago every Halloween, and Walter Payton jerseys are as plentiful as Justin Fields or DJ Moore jerseys at Soldier Field, Glazer’s right.
To be clear, there’s no real reason to believe Williams would force his way out of Chicago if GM Ryan Poles selected him with the No. 1 overall pick. But it’s fair to ask why any QB would want to come to the Bears since they’ve failed to develop or find sustained success with Fields, Mitchell Trubisky, Jay Cutler, Rex Grossman, Jim Miller, Cade McNown, Erik Kramer, Jim Harbaugh,,,,,,,,,. For whatever reason, Chicago and quarterbacks haven’t mixed since Jim McMahon in the 80s if we’re being generous, or since Sid Luckman in the 40s if we’re going by the standby joke about the team’s ineptitude under center. Any misgivings about becoming the next name on a long list of squandered talent are understandable.
There are several reasons why Williams shouldn’t fear a similar fate as those who came before him, though. For starters, the Bears don’t have the No. 1 overall pick because they were the worst team in football last year. They have the pick because the Panthers were dreadful, and the Bears own the Panthers’ pick thanks to last year’s trade that sent the No. 1 overall pick from Chicago to Carolina. Typically the first QB selected in the draft finds himself in a terrible situation. That’s why he’s the first QB selected. The Bears boast an ascending defense, a bonafide WR1 in Moore, and a strong run game. All of those things should help Williams if he does end up in Chicago.
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And Glazer does think Williams ends up in Chicago. Once again, he cited reasons that go beyond football.
“I think they're smart in how they're building,” Glazer said. “If I’m them, I take Caleb and trade Justin, because then you get more salary cap relief for a couple of years. I think it's a
no brainer.
“You already know what you have in Justin. I think you'll get something for Justin. We’ve got two more years where you don't have to pay somebody out on a monster deal. I think it's smart.”