Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams kicked off his pro day on Wednesday with a warm greeting to wide receiver Keenan Allen, who recently joined the Chicago Bears.
Besides Allen, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles were also present at the event.
With the upcoming NFL draft in mind, where the Bears hold the No. 1 pick, Williams showcased his skills during a 25-minute session, throwing passes to former teammates before wrapping up with a pooch punt.
“We had a bunch of teams here, I think they said all 32,” Williams remarked. “But to have that investment that they’re possibly going to make, to have the GM and the head coach here to watch me… To have them here and support me is very cool.”
Speculation linking Williams to the Bears has intensified lately. The recent trade of quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers has opened up an opportunity for Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, to potentially step in as their new starter.
The acquisition of Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers further strengthens the potential partnership between Williams and the Bears. Williams, who is acquainted with Allen, expressed excitement about the prospect of playing alongside him.
“I’ve known Keenan for probably a year now, I’ve hung out with him a few times,” Williams shared. “And so to have him here and for me to possibly be going to the same team as him now, it’s exciting… To possibly be able to have him as a wide receiver coming off his best year, all the knowledge that you can gain from somebody like that, it’s great.”
Williams disclosed that he met with Eberflus and Poles over the past two days, hinting at a potential pre-draft visit as the next step in their interaction.
Despite rumors suggesting Williams might explore other options, he clarified that recent discussions were about assessing if he’s the right fit as the Bears’ top QB pick and potential franchise player.
“They’re trying to see if I’m the right fit to be first pick as QB and possibly be the face of the franchise,” Williams explained. “They’re trying to figure out if this is the guy they should invest all the time, energy, effort and money into, which is important in this situation. So it was great and just building relationships.”
On the field, Williams chose to focus solely on throwing passes, skipping individual drills. While he displayed solid mechanics, he did overthrow wideouts Brenden Rice and Tahj Washington on a couple of deep throws.
Rice, son of NFL icon Jerry Rice, made an impressive catch by reaching out for a high slant from Williams. Reflecting on the morning, Williams expressed satisfaction with his performance while keeping his sights set on the future.
“I wanted to come here and put on a show,” Williams stated. “It’s only about 30 days out until I’m possibly picked, so been working on actually preparing for an actual season and maybe not draft day or anything like that.”
