Excerpts of a new book by Seth Wickersham published on ESPN.com on Thursday focused on Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’s misgivings about going to the organization as the top pick of the 2024 draft.
The book quotes Williams as telling his father that he wanted to find a way to go to the Vikings and it quotes his father as saying that Chicago is where quarterbacks go to die. Williams’s first season turned out to be underwhelming enough that head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron were both fired, but hopes for better days were sparked by the team’s decision to hire Ben Johnson as their head coach.
Johnson was a guest on The Herd Thursday and was asked, with a reference to Wickersham’s reporting, whether he was concerned that Williams would see any further bumps in the road as reason to doubt the direction of the franchise. Johnson said he sees “a great opportunity to do something that hasn’t been done” and that he believes Williams will be the franchise’s first 4,000-yard passer while adding that he’s seen nothing to suggest the quarterback is unhappy about where he’s playing.
“I see a chance for greatness here for him,” Johnson said, via Matt Clapp of Awful Announcing. “He’s been communicated that way and he feels the same way. I don’t know what’s gone on prior to him joining the organization, but he is very proud to be a Chicago Bear. That’s what our conversations have included. He’s really excited to get to work right now and be the best version of himself for 2025.”
Winning heals most wounds and a good year for Johnson, Williams, and the Bears will be the best way to put any pre-draft feelings to rest once and for all in Chicago.
