Bear Digest

Caleb Williams disses Chicago Bears in forthcoming book—and here’s why you shouldn’t care

Alan Goldsher

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (center) holds Heisman Trophy and poses with father Carl Williams (right) and mother Dayne Price
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (center) holds Heisman Trophy and poses with father Carl Williams (right) and mother Dayne Price / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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“Chicago is the place where quarterbacks go to die.”

So said Carl Willams, whose son Caleb happens to be the quarterback of Chicago's very own Bears. And the good news is that even though Caleb is decamped in the Windy City, he’s very much not dead.

Carl’s above quote was pulled from bestselling author Seth Wickersham’s upcoming book, American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback, The 400-plus-page doorstopper doesn’t drop for four months, but the football world is already freaking out over the revelation that before he was selected with the number one pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb and his family tried to circumvent the draft process so he could play with a team other than the Bears.

Because Carl didn’t want his son to come to the Windy City and, y’know, die.

Wickersham details that Caleb had concerns of his own, telling a friend, “Do I want to go [to Chicago? I don't think I can do it with [former Bears offensive coordinator Shane] Waldron."

Caleb wasn’t wrong. Nobody could do it with Waldron.

In his attempt to justify his desire to keep Caleb away from the Bears, the elder Williams placed the blame on the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, saying, “The rookie cap is just unconstitutional. [It’s] the worst piece of shit I’ve ever read. It’s the worst in sports history.”

But if you’re freaking out about any of this, quit it.

R-E-L-A-X

Since Williams arrived in Chicago, he’s been nothing but a ray of sunshine.

  • He rarely, if ever speaks ill of his franchise—a franchise that, admittedly, had its fair share of problems during the QB’s rookie year. (Matt Eberflus, anybody?)
  • He’s proven to be a fantastic teammate, never throwing anybody under the bus despite the fact that opposing defensive constantly threw him under the bus last season, to the tune of 68 sacks.
  • He’s been a visible member of the Chicago community, most notably through his Caleb Cares Foundation, an organization supporting anti-bullying, youth empowerment, and mental health awareness.

But most importantly for the sake of this discussion, it turns out he likes being in Chicago.

Caleb’s Toddlin’ Town

After noting that Williams hoped to play with the Minnesota Vikings, Wickersham punctuated the episode quoting Caleb as telling his father, “"I can do it for [Chicago]. I'm going to go to the Bears."

So let’s all chill out and let Caleb Williams do his job.

Published |Modified
Alan Goldsher
ALAN GOLDSHER

Alan Goldsher has written about sports for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Playboy, NFL.com, and NBA.com, and he’s the creator of the Chicago Sports Stuff Substack. He’s the bestselling author of 15 books, and the founder/CEO of Gold Note Records. Alan lives in Chicago, where he writes, makes music, and consumes and creates way too much Bears content. You can visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com and http://x.com/AlanGoldsher.

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