The Chicago Bears surprised no one when they selected Caleb Williams No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. But according to Williams, the team was planning his arrival even further than some think, joking about a phone call on draft night with general manager Ryan Poles, Chicago hid its quarterback plans “for five months.”
Poles was the first to joke about Williams’ long-predicted selection, telling the USC product while the Bears were on the clock: “They told me to hold [the pick] for five minutes. » This isn’t the first time an NFL decision-maker has mocked the league’s intervention to inject anticipation into the draft broadcast.
But the Poles went further: “I told everyone I’ve had it for a month,” he joked to Williams. The Bears, remember, traded away former starter Justin Fields in mid-March, clearing the way for Williams at No. 1.
“Five months! Five months!” Williams responded. “I’ve had it for five months.”
It’s true that Williams has been linked to the Bears since at least the end of the 2023 season, when Chicago already had two first-round picks in the 2024 draft. But if his calculations are correct, it suggests that Williams expected to meet in Windy City from November 25. The Bears were 3-8 at that point, with six games left in the season.
Was his comment said in jest? Probably. But this may be as close as we come to confirmation that the Bears still expected to move on from Fields, their 2021 first-round pick, in case Williams was within his reach. Head coach Matt Eberflus, after all, was nothing but delighted when he called Thursday evening.
“Today will go down as an iconic day in Bears history,” he told Williams.
