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

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. 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.

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