Bears' Caleb Williams, family sought pre-draft trade to Vikings in 2024, book details

Ryan OLeary

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Bears' Caleb Williams, family sought pre-draft trade to Vikings in 2024, book details image

The NFL’s first Monday Night Football game of the 2025 season will have even juicier storylines than expected.

ESPN released details from journalist Seth Wickersham’s new book — “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback” — on Thursday, revealing that Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and his family weighed circumventing the 2024 NFL Draft to avoid being selected by Chicago with the No. 1 overall pick.

Williams’ dream solution? Landing with Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings.

Per excerpts from Wickersham’s book, Williams “began to dream of what it would be like to play for Minnesota” after hitting it off with O’Connell at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine:

“I need to go to the Vikings,” he told his father.

"Let's do it," his father replied. But both Caleb and Carl knew that a trade to a divisional rival was extremely unlikely.

Bears GM Ryan Poles stood firm, telling Williams, "We're drafting you no matter what."

Williams, of course, wound up landing with Chicago as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and has since fully embraced the city. The Vikings later traded up one spot, from pick No. 11 to No. 10, to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who’s expected to lead the Vikings into Soldier Field to face Williams and the Bears in Week 1 of the 2025 regular season, on Monday Night Football.

RELATED: Kevin O’Connell’s legend grows following message to Bears rookie Caleb Williams

Among the spicier excerpts in ESPN's report was Caleb's father, Carl, telling Wickersham: "Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die." The family was especially concerned about then-Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who wound up getting fired midway through the 2024 season.

Williams would hardly be the first young quarterback prospect to hit it off with O'Connell, the reigning NFL Coach of the Year who's universally respected throughout the NFL.

In November of 2024, cameras caught O’Connell finding Willams after Minnesota's wild, 30-27 overtime win over the Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. O'Connell was careful not to let anyone record his message to Williams, but the then-rookie shared a glimpse of what was said during his postgame presser. 

“I have a few (former) teammates that are over there that talk about him,” Williams said of O'Connell, “and they love him. … He’s been a great coach so far, I believe … and those encouraging words are important.”

Those words may have carried even more meaning than Williams let on at the time.

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Ryan OLeary

Ryan O'Leary has spent his entire professional career in sports multimedia, working as journalist, editor, podcaster, and in live events as a content manager and show emcee. His career highlights include working as a podcast host and audio editor for USA TODAY Sports Media Group, where he led a series of NFL podcasts for the company’s top-performing NFL sites. A born and raised New Englander, Ryan’s career kicked-off in newspapers after graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in journalism. He developed an affinity for small-town youth, high school and college sports, while also realizing his childhood dream of covering the Patriots in multiple AFC Championship Games. Ryan enjoys kicking it with family and friends, beating his dad and brother in chess, and arguing with anyone crazy enough to insist that Tom Brady isn’t the GOAT.