The Chicago Bears all but signaled that a trade of Justin Fields is on the horizon when addressing the quarterback's future on Tuesday. Now Caleb Williams, the anticipated No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and the man widely predicted to take Fields' place, has revealed his feelings about possibly playing for the team.
"If I get drafted by the Bears, I'll be excited," Williams told ESPN. "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."
Bears leaders have not publicly decided on their quarterback plans for 2024, but general manager Ryan Poles admitted Tuesday the team could "go down that road" of dealing Fields, a 2021 first-round pick, in order to reset at the position. In that case, the USC product Williams is widely expected to be the first prospect off the board in April. There had been previous speculation, however, that Williams might prefer to play for someone other than the Bears, considering the club hasn't won a playoff game in 14 years.
"I'm not pushing any agenda," Williams countered, via ESPN. "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."
Wherever he ends up, Williams says his goal is "not money, it's not fame," but rather to "be immortal" and become "a legend," just as Michael Jordan and Walter Payton once did in the Windy City. The consensus top prospect said it'd be "appealing to be in a city like that." But he left the door open for landing with another team picking early in the draft, such as the Washington Commanders, telling ESPN "it'd be really cool" to return to the D.C. area in which he grew up.
The Bears and Commanders aren't the only teams eyeing Williams ahead of the draft, either. The quarterback is also set to meet with the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Giants and New York Jets at the combine, according to NFL Media.
