Caleb Williams breaks silence on rumors of rejecting Washington Commanders’ advances before 2024 NFL Draft
While they never even got the chance to draft him, predraft rumors suggested Caleb Williams didn't want to play for the Washington Commanders. Though they are his hometown team, Williams reportedly didn't want to join the Commanders. There were a lot of rumors about the USC quarterback predraft, and he took the chance to clear the Commanders one up.
On the "Pardon My Take" podcast, he said:
“I think within the NFL they’ve done a good job of whether it’s the owners and the coaches or things like that. I wasn’t against going home, as people said throughout the process. It would be like Kevin Durant. KD didn’t wanna go home but it wasn’t necessarily because of the team."
Williams continued:
"It was more of because everybody in my family is there. It was more or less having to deal with all of that and make it a huge distraction for me and take away from the thing I love doing every single day.”
The Chicago Bears unsurprisingly selected him with the first pick, so he was never on the board for the Commanders. They likely would have selected him and brought him home if he had been, but they took Jayden Daniels instead.
Caleb Williams won't play preseason finale
For the Chicago Bears and not the Washington Commanders, Williams has dazzled. The star prospect has looked every bit the franchise QB he was pegged as and has shown flashes of brilliance in preseason.
His preseason play has officially come to an end, though. The Bears aren't going to play their coveted prospect in the finale this week against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Lots of star players sit out in the preseason. Some, like Dak Prescott and Bryce Young, haven't played a single snap. Rookies need to acclimate to the league, but when they do, the decision to sit them is made for safety. It's not worth an injury risk in the final preseason game where the Bears stand to gain nothing.