Caleb Williams reveals his stance on playing for Bears

Nov 11, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) watches game action against the Colorado Buffaloes during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Caleb Williams is considered a lock to be the first player taken in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the top pick currently belongs to the Chicago Bears. Some have wondered if Williams would prefer to play for a different team, but the star quarterback insists that is not the case.

In an interview with ESPN’s Pete Thamel that was published on Wednesday, Williams said he would be just as “excited” to play for the Bears as any other team that might draft him.

“If I get drafted by the Bears, I’ll be excited,” Williams said. “If they trade the pick, and I get drafted by someone else, I’m just as excited. Speaking about Chicago, they have a talented team, a talented offense and defense. For anyone to be in that situation, I think they’d be excited.”

Williams’ father, Carl Williams, said in an interview last September that there were concerns about his son landing with a bad organization, though he did not mention any teams by name. Carl had said Caleb would even consider returning to USC for another season if the quarterback wanted to avoid a certain team.

Williams told Thamel that any talk of him trying to control where he ends up is not accurate.

“I’m not pushing any agenda,” he added. “At the end of the day, the Bears have the last say. Regardless of how I feel, I’m not pushing an agenda of, ‘Yeah, I want to go. Or no, I don’t want to go.’ I’m excited for whatever comes.”

Though he has only visited Chicago once, Williams spoke about the rich sports history of the city and said he has studied both former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan and former Chicago Bears starWalter Payton.

Williams fueled speculation that he does not want to play for the Bears with some of his social media activity a few months ago, but that was likely misinterpreted. He sounds like he would be content in Chicago or anywhere else, even if some believe he would prefer to play for the Washington Commanders and their new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

If the Bears do decide to draft Williams, that means they would be trading Justin Fields. One NFC team has emerged as the clear favorite to land the former Ohio State star.