NFL legend lashes out at Bears rookie Caleb Williams' locker-room request: "He's Russell Wilson 2.0"
The Chicago Bears drafted highly touted quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. They traded away Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers as they were completely sold on Williams, and it was the right decision.
Williams enters the NFL with high expectations, and he has done well in the training camp so far. Bears safety Kevin Byard revealed in an interview that their quarterback had recently asked all of his teammates to clean up their locker rooms as it was getting a 'little sloppy'.
While Byard and many others were pleased by Williams' leadership some took an issue out of it. Former New York Giants wideout and current NFL analyst, Amani Toomer, went off at the rookie quarterback and labeled him Russell Wilson 2.0. During a segment on the Carton Show, he said:
"He's Russell Wilson 2.0. This is not gonna go over well. If you came in a locker room... ‘I've been in this locker room for eight years’, like you said and somebody's gonna come in who hasn't played one snap, talking, wearing the fingernail polish, now he's gonna come in here and tell me, who has been here, been through the struggle that I need to clean up?
"'No. How about you rookie? How about you clean up after me?’ Don’t give me this crap. I don't like it at all. I feel like rookies should earn their respect. Just because you got drafted number one doesn't mean nothing to me."
It's true that a rookie should first earn the respect of his teammates before saying something like this. However, since Byard's comments indicate that the players on the Bears were happy with what their quarterback said, it should not be an issue.
Caleb Williams has been criticized heavily since his days at USC, and the story will be similar in the NFL. The Bears quarterback needs to have a good rookie season to silence his detractors, or else people might start calling out the Bears franchise for trading away Justin Fields in favor of him.
Can Caleb Williams live up to the expectations in his rookie season?
Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy at USC, and his play reminds everyone of Patrick Mahomes. The Bears have done well to surround him with talent, and the quarterback is put in a position to succeed.
There might be some growing pains during Williams' rookie season, but don't rule out him having a rookie season like C.J. Stroud had last season. Having players like Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, Cole Kmet, and DeAndre Swift will make life quite easier for the USC product, and he could hit the ground running.
In 26 games for USC, the 22-year-old quarterback threw for 8,170 yards, 72 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. The Bears have a good team and have the potential to surprise many with their rookie quarterback leading from the front.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit the Carton Show and H/T Sportskeeda.