It's fair enough for Carl Williams, the father of Caleb Williams, to at the time be concerned about his son going from USC to the Chicago Bears at the time. Ultimately, all that parents want for their children is to be in the best position possible to achieve.
According to Seth Wickersham, as shared in his upcoming book, "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback," the Williams family weighed their options while discussing what the quarterback would be while turning pro.
Others have exercised their leverage before and during the draft process. Archie Manning, for example, made his stance clear in regard to his son Eli Manning being drafted out of Ole Miss. The family efforts there led to the San Diego Chargers trading their #1 overall pick selection for Philip Rivers, and Manning played for the New York Giants.
This past event, the Sanders family overplayed their leverage, and this saw Shedeur Sanders picked much later than most would have foreseen before the 2025 draft.
These are only two examples, and as is evident, leveraging weight can have carried a certain amount of success depending on the situation.
It's unknown how the situation would have resolved itself. Sr. Williams, according to Wickersham's currently unreleased book, was minimally weighing the option of trying to ensure that his son would go to the Windy City.
That was reasonable at the time. It's a franchise that once had Jay Cutler and Jay Cutler in more recent memory. For the most part, however, it has been, as Williams described to Wickersham, "the place quarterbacks go to die."
Things looking on the way up for former USC quarterback
There is something of a turnaround going on in that organization. Since drafting Williams at QB, the team has focused on getting them outside help. While the emphasis on bulking up the trenches is as true as any NFL team, they are making an effort to help their franchise quarterback.
Now, with an offensive mind as the head coach, the team's identity is being molded by coach Ben Johnson. While that too isn't the last piece needed for success, it too shows an organization doing everything in its power to set up Williams in a position to succeed.
From being a QB graveyard to potentially becoming one of the more intriguing and quarterback-friendly options, Chicago is looking to improve the perception that Sr. Williams wanted to avoid all of those years ago.