As the Chicago Bears continue OTAs, Caleb Williams still finds himself embroiled in a bit of drama. While the quarterback has yet to respond, his Bears teammates have all come to defend him.
In an upcoming book by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, it’s revealed that Williams originally didn’t want to play for Chicago. He requested the team trade their No. 1 overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings and even considered going to the UFL just to avoid playing for the Bears. Of course, seeing your franchise quarterback saying he originally didn’t want to play for the team has raised plenty of eyebrows.
Still, head coach Ben Johnson has already defended his quarterback, stating those feelings are in the past and that both he and Williams are committed to crafting a brighter future. Now, Williams’ teammates have joined Johnson on the defense brigade.
Safety Kevin Byard was one of Chicago’s eight captains in 2024. Since his arrival to the Bears, all he has seen out of Williams is a locked in quarterback striving to help the franchise improve, via Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times.
“If that’s how he felt, that’s how he felt,” Byard said. “Obviously, I can’t speak for him, can’t speak for his dad. But since he’s been in the building, since I’ve been around him, I haven’t noticed any of that.”
“He’s a really, really talented young quarterback in this league and he’s trying to get better every day. And that’s all I see from him, just working out everyday, staying late, obviously meeting with Ben and all those guys,” Byard continued. “We’re trying to right the ship, we’re trying to right this organization, trying to right the culture, and that’s the only thing I can see.”
Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds was another Bears captain in 2024. And like Byrd, he has only seen Williams trying to help the team win.
“I can tell he wants to be here,” Edmunds said. “I can tell he’s a highly competitive person. Caleb wants to be here, man. Caleb wants to win.”
Caleb Williams looking to change Chicago Bears narrative
Ultimately, Williams’ pre-draft feelings are in the past. In that same scathing report, it was revealed that the quarterback started believing in Chicago after visiting Halas Hall. And now entering his sophomore year, both quarterback team are focused on taking a massive step forward.
Hiring Johnson was clearly done with Williams in mind. He and former head coach Matt Eberflus clearly didn’t mesh, perhaps due to the latter’s defensive background. Johnson has proven to be one of the strongest offensive minds in the NFL. Now one of his biggest goals is helping Williams’ reach his ceiling.
If the quarterback wanted to prove his commitment to the team, winning will silence all the doubters in short order. Chicago has been clamoring for a franchise quarterback for years. They’ve seen fellow top rookies Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields come and go in short order. The Bears have been desperate for passer they can build their entire franchise around.
Based on their offseason moves, alongside Johnson, Byard and Edmunds’ words, the team is more than confident Williams is ready to be that guy. A breakout 2025 season would flip that narrative completely and again have the former No. 1 in the NFL’s good graces. As for the Bears specifically, talks of how he felt before Johnson’s arrival will become a moot point should the head coach-quarterback pairing go to plan.
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