Wednesday afternoon, Caleb Williams worked his hardest to close the back cover on a story that raised eyebrows across the NFL. Two weeks ago, excerpts from Seth Wickersham’s upcoming book “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback” offered new details and deeper insight into just how reluctant Williams was to play for the Chicago Bears before the 2024 draft.

With Williams being the clear-cut top pick coming out of USC, Carl told several agents in 2024 he didn’t want his son to play for the Bears, who had the No. 1 pick. Part of his efforts to avoid Chicago included consulting Archie Manning, father of Eli Manning, who helped orchestrate Eli’s trade from the San Diego Chargers to the New York Giants.

According to Seth Wickersham's book, Caleb Williams expressed reservations about joining the Bears due to concerns about the coaching staff. His father, Carl Williams, explored options to avoid Chicago,