The debate rages on, but maybe not for too much longer. The Chicago Bears could have a decision regarding their quarterback situation as soon as this week at the 2024 NFL Combine.
Will it be Justin Fields? Or will it be Caleb Williams?
All signs point to the Bears likley trading Fields and drafting Williams no. 1 overall, but despite the USC product being one of the best prospects in recent memory, Chicago should proceed with caution.
On one of the recent episodes of the Hoge and Jahns podcast via The Athletic, Adam Jahns and Kevin Fishbain hosted a very unique guest who had an inside look at Williams for the last couple of years.
The Athletic's USC columnist Antonio Morales joined the show and answered several questions in regards to Williams and his jump to the NFL.
At about the 29-minute mark, the topic of leadership was brought up, and Morales said a few things that should strike fear into all Bears fans' hearts.
Caleb Williams' leadership is a massive question mark heading into the NFL and possibly with the Bears
"I'm curious to see how the leadership stuff goes," Morales said. "... just because USC's season went off the rails this past year and there was no leadership that really stepped up and stopped it.
"That's a narrative where he'll have to get better as well."
"Is he a natural leader?" Jahns then asked.
"I think that's a big question," Morales answered.
"Things were going well in 2022, so it's kind of easy to lead. In 2023, there was no leadership to step up to kind of stop what was going on," Morales explained.
The USC insider also went on to explain that there were some games where Williams simply chose not to speak afterward, most notably after his final collegiate game which came as a loss to UCLA back on November 18.
Morales noted that the media time leading up to that UCLA game, on the previous Wednesday, was the last time he and his peers saw him in that fashion.
It was sobering to hear from someone on the inside like that.
The entire interview gave off a very negative connotation. If this is the guy the Bears are going to bank on being their franchise quarterback, he certainly has a lot of growing up to do.
You look at someone like Fields, who has handled his position, and the media, with class since Day 1. No one can question his leadership skills. No one questions his ability to handle the media. He's been a professional since he arrived.
Williams, on the other hand, truly feels like a kid. He feels like a guy who will come in, having already made a ton of NIL money, and thinks the world revolves around him.
Chicago media will eat this guy alive from the moment he steps foot on the podium.
He might be a phenomenal football player, but if Williams can't handle the media, the pressure and the sting of losing in the NFL, Bears fans are going to be less than thrilled in the near future.
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