Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams might need he had by no means spoken with ESPN’s Seth Wickersham.
On Might 16, ESPN released an excerpt of Wickersham’s new guide, “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback.” It revealed Williams’ father, Carl, did not need him to play for the Bears and regarded going to nice lengths to make sure he went elsewhere.
This created a firestorm, which Caleb Williams addressed in his Wednesday news conference.
“This complete storm that occurred wasn’t one thing that we wished to occur at this level. We’re centered on the current. We’re centered on the now,” Caleb Williams mentioned. “However for this to return out, it has been a distraction, so developing right here and speaking about it and addressing it is necessary right now, and that is what we’re right here to do.”
Per Wickersham, Carl Williams wished his son to play for the Minnesota Vikings after he clicked with head coach Kevin O’Connell in an interview earlier than the 2024 NFL Draft. Caleb Williams acknowledged he loved his assembly with the NFC North rival however reiterated his dedication to the Bears.
“All that went down, all that was mentioned, I had an excellent go to on the different place, Minnesota,” the QB mentioned. “However one thing that retains getting misplaced, one thing that retains not being addressed the best way it must be is the truth that I went on to that first go to got here right here [to Chicago], and after I got here right here, I went again residence, talked to my dad, and all of the issues that have been purported to be these large issues that everyone has been speaking about lately. One, by no means occurred. They have been all ideas. They have been all concepts.”
Whereas Caleb Williams insists the guide excerpt ought to now not be an enormous deal, it might stay a storyline.
All through their historical past, the Bears have didn’t develop QBs. They’re the one workforce within the NFL that has by no means had a QB throw for 4,000 yards or extra in a season. (Caleb Williams had 3,541 passing yards in 17 begins in 2024.)
“Chicago is the place the place quarterbacks go to die,” Carl Williams told Wickersham (h/t ESPN).
If the 2024 No. 1 total choose fails to enhance beneath new Bears head coach Ben Johnson, that will reinforce this concept.
Plus, the Bears host the Vikings in Week 1 on Sept. 8 on “Monday Evening Soccer.” Do not be stunned if “Monday Evening Soccer” commentators Joe Buck and Troy Aikman point out that Caleb Williams reportedly wished to play for Minnesota as a substitute through the telecast.
