Mike Florio argues any remaining Caleb Williams “drama” surrounding Bears selection is all theater
Caleb Williams is set to become the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NFL draft, and there's no way to hide this fact. The Chicago Bears have already traded Justin Fields, Williams has the biggest production floor and potential of the entire class and he'd represent new hope for the franchise.
However, the league still needs to keep this a secret. They likely don't want to ruin their viewership when the draft starts, so they want the Bears to keep it a "surprise", even though everybody knows what they're going to do.
Mike Florio is also a proponent of this line of thinking, as he thinks that it's all theater from the Bears:
" He doesn't want to be the one to say it. The League office frowns upon the premature announcement and disclosure of what a team is going to do. They'd like to have some little sliver of drama that will draw maximum eyeballs into the draft when the draft begins. That's part of what the commissioner wants, the league wants.
"Because if, you know, pick one, pick two, pick three, pick four, pick five, why the hell are you tuning in to the draft until 9:00? The draft doesn't start until pick five for this year. Tune in on the first night of the draft to find out who the Bears take. To find out who the Commanders take, to find out if somebody trades up, trades down, whatever.
"So that's one way to look at it. He's just being a good soldier. He's not letting the cat out of the bag."
Why did the Bears prefer Caleb Williams over Justin Fields?
With the No. 1 pick on their hands, Caleb Williams coming out of college and a clear chance of upgrading the position, Chicago knew that Fields' time with the franchise was coming to an end.
Simply put, Justin Fields did not develop quickly enough to become a reliable quarterback, and no other position in the sport demands as much consistency as this one. By adding a quarterback in the draft, the Bears will be able to live with a cheap contract once again, as Williams will have a four-year deal starting, while Fields was entering his final year.
The fact that Chicago was only able to grab a sixth-round pick for their former starter speaks volumes about what the league thinks of Justin Fields.