Caleb Williams is entering his second season with the Chicago Bears, but there exists an alternate reality in which that might not have been the case. It is not unprecedented for quarterbacks at the top of the NFL Draft pecking order to be picky.
John Elway famously refused to play for the Baltimore Colts before getting traded to the Denver Broncos. A similar situation might have occurred with Williams in 2024.
Caleb Williams Wanted To Join Chicago Bears’ Rival
In an article published by ESPN on May 15 detailing a new tell-all book titled “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,” Williams and his father Carl allegedly considered trying to find a way to multiple other places than the Bears, including the Minnesota Vikings and the UFL.
“I don’t want my son playing for the Bears,” Williams told several agents in 2024.
“I need to go to the Vikings,” Williams told his father.
“Let’s do it,” his father replied.
The Bears’ general manager, Ryan Poles, appeared to know of at least some level of disinterest in his team.
“We’re drafting you no matter what,” Poles had told Williams.
The rest is history. Thanks to the collective bargaining agreement, Williams had no choice. With no public drama, he joined the franchise that most had expected, going as quickly as Cam Ward went to the Tennessee Titans in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, with knowledge about interest in the Vikings now public knowledge, the 2025 season carries a potentially vastly different outcome.
Williams Has Potential Vikings Path, What Needs To Happen
While Williams is neck deep with the Bears, there is a potential path for the quarterback to move from one side of the NFC North to the other. However, it won’t be pain-free and will require some things to go his way. Put simply, the Bears quarterback would need to dry up enough goodwill with the Bears to get either released or traded to the Vikings.
Considering the Vikings are rivals to the Bears, such a trade appears unlikely. However, if Williams were to damage his reputation with the Bears enough, the Bears might believe they could be sending over a Trojan Horse.
Of course, for the Vikings to have any interest, it would take J.J. McCarthy disappointing in 2025 and potentially 2026. Unfortunately for Williams, that aspect would be outside his control in all but two games per season as the two teams face each other twice yearly.
Winning those games to hurt McCarthy’s stock would only bolster his own, so Williams would have to walk a tightrope to get out of Chicago.
That said, intentionally damaging one’s reputation simply to switch teams is playing with fire. However, if Williams doesn’t work out with the Bears and becomes a backup-level quarterback in the future, he might be able to land with the Vikings later down the road, which is perhaps the most likely outcome if any of this at all were to take place.