While the Chicago Bears have gotten plenty of hype during the offseason, quarterback Caleb Williams has found himself in the middle of controversy. Cam Newton has become the latest to lambast Chicago’s franchise quarterback.
Prior to the draft, Williams requested the Bears trade their No. 1 overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings, per an upcoming book by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham. He even considered joining the UFL, just to avoid having to play for the Bears. It was a scathing review of the organization from their now quarterback.
For Newton, he took offense to how Williams reacted to earning his NFL opportunity. Overall, he called Williams’ thought process entitled and agreed with Boomer Esiason’s take on the situation, via 4th&1 with Cam Newton.
“We are living in the golden era of entitlement, and I hate that for sports as a whole, right, whether it’s the parent or the player… it’s more to that than what the story entails, basically,” Newton said. “Now, you may not like the words, but behind what Boomer Esiason is saying is some truth, and that’s a lot of merit to the thinking of how a lot of guys who have came through this league are in the league, feel about guys coming in to the league.”
Esiason ripped Williams earlier in the offseason for many of the same reasons. Overall, he just thinks the quarterback should’ve been grateful to be in a position to go No. 1 overall in the first place, via the Rich Eisen Show.
“The level of entitlement is breathtaking,” Esiason said. “Keep your mouth shut. You’re going into the greatest league that there’s ever been for the sport we all love. You’re going to have a chance one day to make $500 million because guys like me and guys before me all went on strike, so you could actually make more money. So keep your piehole shut and go out and play football and earn your keep and earn your respect.”
Chicago Bears Caleb Williams must change narrative
Ultimately, the report is in the past. Williams is now locked in with the Bears, and organization and quarterback have seemed to smooth any problems over. Chicago at least proved they believe in their quarterback based on their offseason moves.
By hiring Ben Johnson, the Bears gave Williams an offensive-minded head coach to work with. With three new faces inside the interior of his offensive line, he shouldn’t get sacked a league-high 68 times in 2025. And by adding tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden to his receiving core, Williams should have one of the most dynamic passing cores in the NFL.
However, all of those additions will be moot points if Williams doesn’t take a step forward. While his rookie season wasn’t disastrous, he failed to live up to his No. 1 pick potential. Too often he held onto the ball too long waiting for a play that never developed downfield. Furthermore, many of the box scores from his rookie season would have you thinking Williams was a ghost.
The Bears have been aggressive in improving their roster, but Bears fans have heard this song and dance before. It’s now up to Williams to prove why he went No. 1 overall. A breakout season would silence any detractors in short order.
ESPN doesn’t think Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson can fix Caleb Williams
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