Caleb Williams’ dad didn’t want him to get drafted to the Bears because “Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die,” he said in Seth Wickersham’s new book “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,” set to be published in September, according to ESPN.
Carl Williams “went to great lengths to try to circumvent” the [2024] NFL draft, Wickersham writes, wanting to give his son the freedom to choose his where he wanted to begin his pro career.
“I don’t want my son playing for the Bears,” Williams told several agents in 2024, the book states.
Caleb and his family consulted with lawyers to figure out a way around the league’s collective bargaining agreement while considering skipping the 2024 NFL Draft and signing with the United Football League, the book details.
The family was concerned about Chicago’s history and whether Caleb would have the resources and organizational support to succeed.
Before taking Williams with the No. 1 overall pick last year, the Bears had not drafted a star quarterback since the 1980s and the franchise is infamous for its lack of stars at the sport’s most important position.
Williams also was concerned about playing under then-head coach Matt Eberflus and former Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
“Do I want to go there? I don’t think I can do it with [Waldron],” Caleb wondered aloud to confidants.
Those concerns were well-founded as Eberflus and Waldon were both fired during Williams’ rookie season. Thomas Brown first replaced Waldron as offensive coordinator then took over as interim head coach when Eberflus was canned the day after Thanksgiving.
The Bears hired Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson in January.
Caleb told Carl he wanted to go to the Vikings after he and head coach Kevin O’Connell hit it off at the NFL Scouting Combine.
However, Bears GM Ryan Poles told Williams, “We’re drafting you no matter what.”
Carl spoke with Archie Manning, who reportedly helped orchestrate a draft day trade between the Chargers and Giants for the rights to select his so Eli at No. 1, in his quest to figure out how to get around the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
Carl emphasized his frustration with the rookie wage cap, calling it “unconstitutional” and the “worst piece of s–t I’ve ever read. It’s the worst in sports history.”
The rookie scale could lock his son into the team that drafted him for up to eight years with franchise tags.
Carl calculated hundreds of millions of lost market-value income.
Carl, who also met with labor lawyers and agents, weighed his son signing with the UFL and becoming an unrestricted NFL free agent in 2025 to be able to pick a team.
Caleb showed flashes last season, despite being sacked a league-high 68 times and the team finishing 5-12.
In 2024, he completed 62.5 percent of his passes with 20 touchdown passes and six interceptions.
The quarterback says in the book that he would watch film alone and had no instruction or guidance from Bears coaches.
“No one tells me what to watch,” Caleb told his dad. “I just turn it on.”
The Bears declined to comment ESPN.