Caleb Williams is happy to be a Chicago Bear in the here and now.
That was the message he wanted to convey on Wednesday when speaking to reporters for the first time since information surfaced from an upcoming book that he nor his father wanted him to be drafted by the organization.
"This whole storm that happened, it wasn't something that we wanted to happen at this point," Williams said. "We're focused on the present, we're focused on now. We're focused on, you know, trying to get this ship moving in the right direction. And I think, so far, that's what we've been doing. But for this to come out, it's been a distraction, so, coming up here and talking about it and addressing it is important today, and so that's what we're here to do."
In the soon-to-be-released "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback," ESPN reporter and author Seth Wickersham details how Williams and his father, Carl Williams, looked into potential ways they could circumvent being drafted by the historically quarterback-challenged Bears at No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Nothing came into play and Williams, as expected, was selected by Chicago, which has never had a quarterback throw for more than 4,000 yards or 30 touchdowns in a season.
Williams, who had a pre-draft visit with the Minnesota Vikings and was detailed in the upcoming book as being enamored with Kevin O'Connell's coaching, underscored on Wednesday that no ill-willed schemes ever came to fruition.
"All that went down, all that was said, yeah, I had a good visit at the other place," Williams said. "Minnesota, with Kevin O'Connell, good staff, and all of that, obviously. He just won Coach of the Year award and things like that. So, obviously, good staff and things like that.
"But something that keeps getting lost or something that keeps getting, I think, not being addressed the way it needs to be, is the fact that, I went on that visit first, came here and then after I came here, I went back home, talked to my dad and, you know, all the things that were supposed to be, these big things that everybody's been talking about recently, No. 1, never happened in the sense of they were all thoughts. They were all ideas.
"And I think if you're in the situation, I think if your son or daughter, anybody is in the situation to be in that position, I think you think about all of the options and you look at the history and the facts and all these different things. And those are thoughts that go throughout your head in those situations. So, you know, all of those were thoughts, and then after I came with my visit here, it was a deliberate answer, a deliberate and determined answer that I had that I wanted to come here."
Williams' rookie campaign was an arduous one in which the Bears went 5-12. He was sacked 68 times (third-most in NFL history) and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and head coach Matt Eberflus were each fired during the season.
Following a 4-2 start, the Bears lost 10 in a row before a season-ending win over the archrival Green Bay Packers. Despite the dismissals of Waldron and Eberflus, Williams was never of the belief that his worst fears were coming to realization.
"Wasn't at a point where I looked at it was like, I knew this would happen," he said. "Nobody, I think, would sit back, especially after you go 4-2 in the first six weeks, you don't sit back and wonder and ponder on the bad. You face it when the bad comes, and that's what we did."
At season's end, Williams threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. Atop of a ballyhooed '24 draft class that saw fellow first-round quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix lead their teams to the postseason and Drake Maye draw rave reviews, Williams' confidence remains unwavering despite the tribulations.
"This past year was a bump. There was good, bad and indifferent," Williams said.
The book is set to be released on Sept. 9, a day after the Bears open their season against the aforementioned O'Connell and the Vikings on Monday Night Football.
Williams doesn't foresee it being a distraction again.
"That's why I came up here today to address this," Williams said.
Though it's unlikely this will be the last time Williams will be asked about his pre-draft thoughts or the upcoming book, he's looking to move forward along with Ben Johnson, his second head coach in as many seasons.
Williams is also hopeful of overcoming the snake-bitten past of Bears QBs and of ultimately leading a Chicago renaissance after six straight years without a winning season.
"All those things, like I said, were thoughts, but the main goal and the main objective of being here is to turn (it) around," Williams said. "That's why I was selected No. 1. That's what we're here to do. That's what they brought, you know, me here to do."
