Caleb Williams wanted to play for the Vikings so badly he almost tried to force his way out of Chicago

When the Minnesota Vikings were scouting the quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft class, the one that everyone was fawning over was USC and current Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. The Heisman Trophy winner had played some excellent football throughout his career at both USC and Oklahoma, while possessing elite-level tools and traits to take […]

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Dec 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) talks to Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell after the game quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Dec 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) talks to Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell after the game quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

When the Minnesota Vikings were scouting the quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft class, the one that everyone was fawning over was USC and current Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.

The Heisman Trophy winner had played some excellent football throughout his career at both USC and Oklahoma, while possessing elite-level tools and traits to take his game to the next level. Williams wasn't without his flaws, but there were a lot of teams who wanted him, but the Bears took him at first overall.

Caleb Williams wanted to play for Minnesota Vikings

Ahead of the NFL Draft, it was a foregone conclusion that Williams was going to be selected by the Bears. They selected first overall and he was the consensus top quarterback. 

That almost didn't happen.

We learned on Thursday the release of Seth Wickersham's book "American Kings; A Biography of the Quarterback" has details about Williams leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft where Caleb tells his father, Carl Williams, that he wanted to play in Minnesota.

After an up-and-down final season at USC, Caleb Williams was unsure of what he wanted to do as he prepared for the 2024 draft. At the NFL combine that year, he met with Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell. The two hit it off, and Caleb Williams began to dream of what it would be like to play for Minnesota.

"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."

This is all new public information about Williams and the Bears, but it seems that this was the sentiment for quite a while, as Carl wasn't afraid to say so.

"Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die," Carl Williams, Caleb's father, told Seth Wickersham, author of "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback," in the months before the 2024 draft.

"I don't want my son playing for the Bears," Williams told several agents in 2024.

It's no surprise that they feel that way, as the Bears have never had a quarterback throw for 4,000 in a single season in the franchise's over 100-year history. Williams is likely to break that at some point, but it's wild that it hasn't happened yet.

Let's talk about the biggest part of this entire discussion. Caleb said "I need to go to the Vikings." That might be the biggest endorsement of head coach Kevin O'Connell we've ever seen. 

Of course, O'Connell is one of the best coaches in the National Football League, having compiled a 34-17 record along with maximizing every quarterback that has started for him in Minnesota. The Vikings were interested in Williams, but it was evident that he wasn't going to be an option for them.

Now, the Vikings are very happy with J.J. McCarthy and what he can be for this team, but it's not nothing that Williams was vocal about where he did and didn't want to play.

The evidence is overwhelming now at this point that the Vikings hit a major home run with O'Connell.

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