Caleb Williams wants to be a legend, and is glad his story takes place in Chicago. In an interview with Pete Thame, Williams revealed that he had watched videos of Michael Jordan and Walter Payton and wanted to be the next athlete to be deified in Chicago.
“I’m 22 years old. I don’t really see those players,” Williams told Thamel. “As the saying goes, legends live forever. That’s what I want to play for – not money, not fame… but immortality. I want to achieve that feeling of being a legend. To stand on the table… and have the experience that through me we have in this world. For all the effort, energy, and time I put into a game we all love, I’ve earned my rightful place at the table.
“There’s something attractive about living in a city like this. Having legends that you look up to… living up to the standards they set and doing whatever it takes to achieve that.”
Speculation has swirled for months that Williams would consider forcing his way out of town if the Bears selected him with the No. 1 pick. But in the interview, Williams insisted that was not the case.
“They have a talented team, talented offensively and defensively,” Williams told Thamel. “For anyone who’s been in this situation, I think they’re going to be excited.”
More often than not, quarterbacks drafted first overall end up on bad teams. If a team is performing so poorly that they find themselves high in the draft and in the market for a new quarterback, it’s almost always a sign that the organization is going in the wrong direction. That’s why they need to shake things up.
That’s not the case with the Bears. They own the No. 1 pick because the Panthers are terrible in 2023. The Bears are considered a team on the rise, with a promising defense and several key players on offense such as DJ Moore, Darnell Wright and Cole Kmet. This infrastructure will help any rookie quarterback transition to the NFL.
The hype surrounding Williams has grown since his 2022 Heisman season at USC. Now, he’s the presumptive No. 1 pick — by the Bears or elsewhere.
We’re still not sure if Williams will come to Chicago, but one thing is for sure. If Williams does win a Super Bowl for the Bears, there’s no question he’ll become an instant legend.
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