BroBible
Caleb Williams did not want to play for the Chicago Bears but new head coach Ben Johnson is not worried about the past. He does not see this latest report about his new franchise quarterback in the same way as the general public.
This is a new era for the organization. The 39-year-old believes what happened in 2023 and 2024 are pillars on which to build, not fears on which to panic.
Williams was always going to be the top player of interest for NFL organizations after he won the Heisman Trophy. However, nobody knew what the Bears were going to do with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft because they already had Justin Fields on the roster. They chose to draft the former USC signal-caller anyway and traded their incumbent starter to Pittsburgh.
According to a new report from ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, neither Williams nor his family wanted him to end up in the Windy City. They had worries about the Bears’ offense and then-offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. They were worried about the history of quarterbacks in Chicago.
Carl Williams, Caleb’s dad, even went so far as to say it is the “place quarterbacks go to die.” And they were absolutely correct about their concerns. Williams was set up to fail as a rookie based on an alarming anecdote about game film. It was an uphill battle upon arrival.
That was then. This is now. Waldren is gone. Matt Eberflus was replaced by Ben Johnson as head coach.
Colin Cowherd asked Johnson about this new report. He sees all of the Williams family’s initial “fears” as opportunity.
You talk about fears and I don’t see it quite the same way. I see this as what a great opportunity we have to do something that’s never been done. There hasn’t been a 4,000-yard passer here in this franchise, and I think Caleb’s going to be the first one. One of many seasons to come where he’s able to accomplish that feat. So, I see a chance for greatness here for him.
— Ben Johnson
There is a new energy in Chicago and Johnson fully believes Williams is glad to be a part of this transition. Even if the Bears were undesirable when he was drafted, the organization looks very different today than it did a year ago.
