Former NFL MVP Boomer Esiason slammed Chicago Bears quarterback and former Heisman winner Caleb Williams this week after reports indicated the 2024 No. 1 overall pick wanting to play elsewhere before he was drafted. Williams tried to circumvent the entire NFL Draft process to avoid being selected by the Bears according to a revelation in a new book, "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback", which describes his family meeting with lawyers to discuss the process.
"The level of entitlement is breathtaking," Esiason said this week on WFAN The Fan. "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.
"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."
The Bears tapped Williams as their franchise player despite the notion there were other franchises he'd rather play for as a rookie.
"Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die," Carl Williams, Caleb's father, told ESPN's Seth Wickersham in the new book.
Before starring at USC for two seasons, Williams spent his freshman campaign at Oklahoma under Lincoln Riley, serving as the backup to Spencer Rattler. He eventually won the job mid-season and then followed Riley to USC.
Williams won the Heisman Trophy in 2022, throwing for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. He also had a rating of 168.5 that season.
During his first NFL season, Williams threw for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns with six interceptions. Chicago started the 2024 season 4-2 overall near the top of the NFC North before a 10-game losing skid tanked the campaign.
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The Bears beat Green Bay, 24-22, in the season finale for their first win over the Packers since the 2018 season.