NFL legend wants Caleb Williams to be a different kind of generational

After an incredible 2022 college football season, Caleb Williams was billed as the next generational quarterback and the consensus first overall pick for the 2024 NFL draft, which was the first year he was eligible to declare. Williams did not quite reach generational heights as a rookie due to the chaos and general dysfunction of the Chicago Bears organization, but he still played well and looks to have a bright future, especially with head coach Ben Johnson mentoring him.

But NFL legend Ndamukong Suh wants Williams to focus on another kind of ‘generational’ ability: his future outside of football. Suh, who announced his retirement earlier this week, posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account a video in which he advised the Bears to let Caleb Williams have the freedom to pursue non-football business ventures in his free time. He went on to say that focusing on nothing but football all the time can cause a player to burn out, but 'stepping away can make you better'.

Suh’s post probably comes as a breath of fresh air for Williams and for Bears fans, too. Sports analysts or regular fans have often called out Williams’ efforts in non-football-related activities as a waste of time or proof that he’s not serious about winning (nothing could be further from the truth). But Suh has it exactly right, and he even gives examples from his own career of how he was able to strike a work-life balance that worked for him. Now, Suh is able to retire from football as a potential future Pro Football Hall of Famer and also lead a successful, post-football life for himself and his family.

As far as advice goes, this is good stuff from Suh, and it’s something that Williams has already been working toward. Despite his youth, he understands that football won’t last forever and that he’s going to need something to give himself too once his career is over. Like Suh, he’s attempting to build generation wealth for himself and any future family he has.

Of course, he is probably hoping, along with the entire Chicago Bears fanbase, that before achieving the kind of generational wealth that Suh has built, he first experiences the kind of football success (Super Bowl champion, 5-time Pro Bowler, and 5-time All-Pro) that Suh did.

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