Caleb Williams wants to play '20 years' for same NFL team
Projected No. 1 pick Caleb Williams is thrilled about the prospect of playing for the Chicago Bears, who are widely expected to select the star quarterback first overall in the 2024 draft.
"Now that I want to play at one place for 20 years ... I want a place that loves ball. That's all I've heard about Chicago so far, which is exciting for me," Williams recently said on the "The Pivot Podcast."
He added: "Really excited, if that's the place and that's the city, to light up and bring back and revive and make game days really fun."
A former Heisman Trophy winner, Williams became the top prospect in this year's draft after a standout college career at Oklahoma and USC. The 22-year-old Williams has drawn comparisons to Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers due to his arm talent and ability to improvise. He hopes to follow in those former NFL MVP winners' footsteps.
"Makes you feel good," Williams said of the comparisons with Mahomes and Rodgers. "I mimic my game after, you know - it's like the Kobe-MJ thing - where you watch and you mimic. ... Trying things that Patrick Mahomes does, trying things that Tom Brady does."
He added: "Like I said, sitting back, watching, learning, taking in what I can take in and adapt (it) to my game in my best way possible and make it my own. Some of it may look like some of what Pat does, some of what Aaron Rodgers does, because, I mean, they're the best, and to be the best you want to learn from the best. ... To get to where they are, winning Super Bowls, being MVPs, or throwing these crazy passes and things like that, is where I want to be.
"I want to win Super Bowls. I want to be up there with those guys competing versus them."
Williams put on a show at his pro day last month in front of multiple Bears members, including head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles.
Chicago has been aggressive at improving its supporting cast. In the last 13 months, the team acquired star receivers D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen and used its 2023 first-round pick on offensive tackle Darnell Wright. The Bears also traded for defensive end Montez Sweat midway through last season.
Eberflus' outfit posted a 7-10 record in 2023, up from 3-14 in 2022. The Bears, who also own the No. 9 choice this year, acquired the No. 1 overall pick from the Carolina Panthers.