NFL analyst pushes Caleb Williams to pull a John Elway and reject Bears if drafted to replace Justin Fields
Caleb Williams will share the league and, potentially, a roster, with Justin Fields. Speculation has run rampant that the Chicago Bears will acquire him. That could be bad news for Williams, one NFL analyst has declared.
Speaking on "Get Up," NFL analyst Dominique Foxworth pushed Williams to reject the franchise if he's taken to replace Fields.
"[00:03:15] When a player is as good as Caleb Williams, we can see times in the past like you can go back to John Elway or Eli Manning, where they forced their way to a place where they were more comfortable. And while I know it's going to rub people the wrong way, there's nothing more important to a quarterback than where he lands to start his career."
He continued, calling out Chicago:
"It's going to determine how things go going forward, so I think Caleb Williams will be wise to consider what leverage he has to get to the place where he wants to be... They have a pretty terrible track record of developing quarterbacks there, so it's worth considering moving to another place. [00:03:53]"
Caleb Williams counts down final months before beginning NFL journey
The USC prospect has completed building his resume on the gridiron and now stands just under three months from learning his landing place. He still has the NFL Combine, various interviews, and a potential Pro Day standing between now and landing with the Chicago Bears or another NFL franchise.
It is the final stretch for the quarterback's time in college after a year with the Oklahoma Sooners and two years with the USC Trojans, building an objectively impressive stat line. Year over year, the quarterback showed improvement in a few key areas but also gave one big reason for teams to worry.
On the bright side for Caleb Williams, his yards per attempt increased between his freshman season and his junior season from 9.1 to 9.4. His completion percentage also climbed every season from 64.5% to 68.6%. However, his touchdown-interception ratio dipped in his final season.
In 2022, he threw for 42 touchdowns and five interceptions in 14 games. In 2023, he threw for 30 touchdowns and five interceptions in 12 games. This has given some a reason to wonder if defenses were catching up to Williams, which could foreshadow a weakness in his game that may hurt him in 2025 or 2026.
Even if he starts hot in his rookie season as CJ Stroud did, defenses could catch up and he could see a quick rise and fall in his career. One can only wait and see.
If any of the above quotes are used, credit "Get Up" and H/T Sportskeeda.