Being one of the first picks in the NFL Draft, especially first overall, is like a double-edged sword. Not only does that player make more money right out of the gate, but a level of prestige also comes with being selected first.
However, there are also increased expectations and pressure. Players selected first are often expected to have an immediate impact. Quarterbacks are frequently the first player chosen, which makes sense since it is such a critical position, and finding a franchise-type guy is challenging.
The flip side of the expectation of success is that the first player selected rarely goes to a winning franchise. In the NFL Draft, the team with the worst record picks first. If another team wants to move up to the No. 1 spot, it often has to give up enormous amounts of capital to do so.
This is why there are often stories about how the best quarterbacks in the draft reportedly don’t want to go to the team that will be picking first.
Caleb Williams’ Dad Tried To Pull an Eli Manning on Chicago
Before the 2025 NFL Draft, rumors abounded that Deion Sanders would not allow his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, to go to specific teams. It wound up being a non-issue since Shedeur wasn’t selected until the fifth round, but the threat remained.
The most famous case of refusal came in the 2004 draft, when Eli Manning publicly said he did not want to play for the San Diego Chargers, who had the first overall pick. Manning’s father, Archie Manning, said Eli would refuse to play if they drafted him. Ultimately, the Chargers selected Manning but traded him to the New York Giants for Philip Rivers.
Now, the news is out that Caleb Williams’ father, Carl Williams, considered the same thing with the Chicago Bears. Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, Carl spoke with ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, who wrote, “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,” that he consulted with lawyers to find a work out for the collective bargaining agreement. He added they even considered signing with the United Football League.
“Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die,” said Carl in the interview and to several NFL agents. “I don’t want my son playing for the Bears.”
The book, due out in September, gives an unprecedented look at the lives of numerous quarterbacks, including John Elway, Johnny Unitas, Warren Moon, the Manning Family, and Steve Young. It also interviews some current players, such as Williams, Drake Maye, and Kirk Cousins.
Carl wasn’t the only one to express concerns. Reportedly, Caleb told his friends he had doubts about going to the Windy City.
“Do I want to go there? I don’t think I can do it with [former Bears offensive coordinator Shane] Waldron,” confided Caleb to his close friends.
Carl even spoke with Archie Manning to get his advice on how to deal with this. It wasn’t just playing in Chicago that worried him; he also cited the lost wages. He noted that Caleb could be locked into the Bears organization for eight years and said that would lead to hundreds of millions of lost income.
The Williams insisted he wouldn’t go, and the Bears insisted they would refuse to trade him. This left only the option for Caleb and his father to attack the city and the franchise, but he was worried it might blow up in his face.
Ultimately, Caleb visited with the Bears at their facility and decided he could be a part of the team’s success. “I can do it for this team,” said Caleb to his dad. “I’m going to go to the Bears.”