A forthcoming book from ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, titled “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,” contains a revelation that former Oklahoma and USC quarterback Caleb Williams considered signing with a UFL team as a way to circumvent the 2024 NFL Draft and avoid being drafted by the Chicago Bears.
In an excerpt published by ESPN on Thursday, Williams’ father, Carl, is quoted saying Chicago is “the place quarterbacks go to die.” According to Wickersham, the Williams family was also concerned about Chicago’s uncertain stadium situation as well as the offense under former offensive coordinator Matt Waldron.
From ESPN:
I don’t want my son playing for the Bears,” Williams told several agents in 2024.
Looking for a way around the league’s collective bargaining agreement, Carl Williams spoke with Archie Manning, who helped Eli Manning assert a measure of control over his eventual team in 2004. He also met with labor lawyers and agents — and even considered whether his son could sign with the United Football League and become an unrestricted NFL free agent in 2025 to be able to pick a team. In addition to the draft process, Carl Williams vented about the rookie wage scale, which could lock his son into the team that drafted him for up to eight years. He calculated hundreds of millions of lost market-value income.
“The rookie cap is just unconstitutional,” Carl Williams told Wickersham, later adding that the CBA is the “worst piece of s— I’ve ever read. It’s the worst in sports history.
Wickersham reveals in his book that Williams was interested in NFC North rival Minnesota. Williams told his father, “I need to go to the Vikings,” per Wickersham, but Bears general manager Ryan Poles told the family they were drafting Williams “no matter what.”
The family also considered a public rebuke of the city of Chicago as a means of forcing a trade, but Williams conceded to Wickersham he wasn’t ready to “nuke the city.” Instead, Williams grew to believe he could turn Chicago around.
During his rookie season, Chicago fired Waldron after just 9 games and dismissed head coach Matt Eberflus after a disastrous Thanksgiving loss. That firing marked the first time in franchise history the Bears fired a head coach in the middle of a season.
Chicago hired Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson in January. The team then spent the first 2 draft picks of the Johnson era on pass-catchers (Michigan tight end Colston Loveland, Mizzou receiver Luther Burden III) to help Williams out. They also spent a second-round pick on an offensive tackle. Chicago signed center Drew Dalman to a 3-year, $42 million deal, traded for Kansas City guard Joe Thuney, and traded for Los Angeles guard Jonah Jackson.
Williams completed 62.5% of his passes for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns during his first season in the NFL. He was only picked off 6 times, but took an NFL-high 68 sacks.
Caleb Williams considered UFL to avoid being drafted by Chicago, book reveals Saturday Down South.
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