There was a lot of sympathy for Caleb Williams after a bombshell report that shared just how little coaching he received from the Chicago Bears during his rookie season. But Boomer Esiason is not one of them.
The former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback was quick to pounce on the other aspect of Seth Wickersham’s incredible reporting, that Caleb Williams and his father Carl tried to do everything they could to avoid being drafted by the Bears including circumventing the draft process and even exploring playing a year in the UFL.
On Boomer & Gio Friday morning on WFAN, Esiason unloaded on Williams and the breathtaking entitlement that the story displayed. He also implied that Williams deserved his share of blame for his rookie season struggles.
Boomer went off on Caleb Williams amid reports that he wanted to avoid the Bears to the point where he and his family looked to sidestep the CBA 😳 pic.twitter.com/Tk6N1zQXSa
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) May 16, 2025
“The level of entitlement is breathtaking,” Esiason said. “It’s no wonder why he failed initially and it’s no wonder why the coach got fired.”
“So now they go out and get an offensive coach in Ben Johnson. So you know what? Now it’s on his ass. It’s going to be on his ass to live up to these so-called lofty expectations that he has for himself and that his father has for his son. I understand that there could be a discussion, ‘hey this is where quarterbacks go to die.’ Well, go fix it. Be the reason that the team is going to turn it around and you be the player that you think you are,” he added.
And then Boomer Esiason was even more forceful. Even though Caleb Williams hasn’t said anything himself publicly about the depth of the Bears’ woes last season or the reports about his efforts to circumvent the draft process, the WFAN host told him to “keep your piehole shut.”
“Keep your mouth shut. You’re going into the greatest league that there’s ever been for the sport we all love. You’re going to have a chance one day to make $500 million because guys like me and guys before me all went on strike so you could actually make more money. So keep your piehole shut and go out and play football and earn your keep and earn your respect,” Esiason concluded.
Sure, Williams might have a brash comment here or there. But it’s not like he was throwing his coaches under the bus last season when everyone with even the slightest bit of football knowledge knew he had every right to. If anything, he was incredibly diplomatic after Eberflus became the first Bears quarterback to be fired during the season. That may have changed this spring with the change in staffs, but who could blame him after witnessing what the Bears went through?
Also, let’s not forget that Caleb Williams is not the first quarterback to try to manipulate the draft process. John Elway and Eli Manning were both successful in forcing their way away from teams that they viewed negatively. And Williams did eventually accept being drafted by the Bears.aq
However, the one point where Boomer Esiason is that there are no more excuses now that Williams and the Bears have one of the top offensive minds in the sport in Ben Johnson, who has already shown his support for Williams in handling the bombshell report masterfully. If Chicago can’t make it work with that pairing then it’s fair to wonder if they ever will.