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Caleb Williams going for gold? Bears teammate sees an ideal match

Caleb Williams' status among NFL quarterbacks is in question by analysts but one teammate knows where he would be a passer who dominates.

Gene Chamberlain

Caleb Williams' ability to create on the run would be ideal for one Olympic sport, says a teammate.
Caleb Williams' ability to create on the run would be ideal for one Olympic sport, says a teammate. / Audrey Richardson / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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If things don't work out for quarterback Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard might have another possibility.

Flag football, a sport born in World War II as "Touch and Tail football" but popularized in physical education classes, is in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. And the NFL has cleared one player per team to participate.

The Bears' quarterback, Byard says, is a natural. And it's not because they watch little or no game film in flag football.

"I think we got a lot of guys on our team that probably can do it," Byard said. "I'm not sure he's going to want to do it, but I think Caleb would be an excellent flag football team quarterback.

"Especially with the broken plays and being able to scramble around, do those type of things. I think it is a blessing for sure.”

Byard explained why NFL athletes would want to seemingly downgrade themselves and compete in something like non-contact, flag football without money involved.

“I think for any athlete to be able to have the opportunity to go and get a gold medal for our country, I think that's an enormous opportunity and it's a blessing," Byard said. "Would I want to play? Probably not, if you asked me probably, five some years ago, I probably would be one of the guys in the front of the line."

Byard thought there might be a conflict with training camps but wasn't sure.

Now 31 years old, Byard would be 34 when the Games are held. He had a good reason for thinking he might have been interested in the Olympics had it happened earlier in his career, but it wasn't necessarily his age.

“I didn't have as many kids as I have, you know what I mean?" he said. "I have a lot of responsibilities during the summer. I don't know if that's something I'd be looking forward to.”

Making money makes more sense, or cents.

“For me it's like keep the main thing, the main thing," Byard said. "I'm trying to go win a championship. If I was younger and I knew I had a lot more years left to play, I maybe can sacrifice that. 

"I know I’ve played more years than I'm going to play, so everything that I'm focused on is trying to win that chip.”

Gold medals don't pay the bills or work in a college fund like NFL bucks do.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.