The Chicago Bears have a true franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams, and it's for more reasons than just his rare on-field traits.
Williams finally addressed his controversial pre-2024 NFL Draft stance that was revealed in the soon-to-be-released book, "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback," on Wednesday following the team's OTA practice session, and he did so in a way that certainly made the organization proud.
In case you've been living under a rock the last couple of weeks, excerpts of the book that shed light on Williams and his father's desire not to play in Chicago before last year's Draft were shared on social media, leading to a firestorm of debate and criticism.
The most damning revelation was Williams's desire to play for one of Bears' most-hated rivals, the Minnesota Vikings, after meeting with Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell. It's a stance Williams acknowledged.
“I had a good visit at the other place — Minnesota — with Kevin O’Connell,” Williams told reporters at Halas Hall. “Good staff and all of that obviously. He just won the Coach of the Year award and things like that. Obviously, a good staff.”
I like that Williams didn't try to tap dance around his admiration for O'Connell and the Vikings' staff. He proved in that answer that he's being honest, which is why his follow-up about his desire to be a Bear should be given just as much credit.
“I wanted to come here,” Williams said, “and be the guy and be a reason why the Chicago Bears turn this thing around.”
The Bears still have a long way to go before things get turned around, but the 2025 offseason has been a big step toward accomplishing that goal. It's also proof that Williams's arrival was the first and arguably most important step in that journey.
Adding Ben Johnson as head coach helps, too.
“He is always laser-focused,” Williams said of Johnson. “He encourages and he pushes and he challenges you to be at your best as a team. Offense, defense, special teams. Doesn’t matter the position. (He’s) sharp and he’s a guy who wants to win. And to be honest, he’s consistent with it every day.”
Most importantly, Caleb Williams presented himself with the same amount of confidence and swagger that he had during his peak years at USC and throughout the rough road of his rookie season.
“I still have all the confidence in myself,” he said. “I think my teammates believe in me. I think that’s shown on game day. And I think how much I love and care for those guys and want to go win shows up on game day.”
Bears fans should believe in Williams, too. It takes leadership and a bit of courage to stand in front of a historically tough room of beat reporters who never miss an opportunity to pile on when things are down. And while the book controversy isn't necessarily a 'down' moment for Williams, it certainly presented a public relations challenge, one that he met head-on and defeated.
Here's to hoping it's the first of many wins for Caleb Williams in 2025.
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