The Chicago Bears surprised no one when they picked Caleb Williams No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. But according to Williams, the team was plotting his arrival even further back than some realize, joking in a draft-night phone call with general manager Ryan Poles that Chicago was hiding 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 that "they told me to hold [the pick] for five minutes." It's not the first time an NFL decision-maker has made light of the league stepping in to inject anticipation to the draft broadcast.
But Poles went a step further: "I told everyone I've been holding it for a month," he joked to Williams. The Bears, remember, traded former starter Justin Fields in mid-March, all but clearing the way for Williams at No. 1.
"Five months! Five months!" Williams responded. "I've been holding 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 owned two first-round picks in the 2024 draft. But if his math is accurate, that suggests Williams expected to end up in Windy City as far back as Nov. 25. The Bears were 3-8 at that time, with six games still to go in the season.
Was his comment delivered in jest? Probably so. But it may be as close as we come to confirmation the Bears always expected to move on from Fields, their 2021 first-round pick, in the event Williams was within reach. Head coach Matt Eberflus, after all, was nothing but elated when taking his own turn with the phone call Thursday night.
"This day's gonna go down as an iconic day in Bears history," he told Williams.
