Caleb Williams Cancels Visit with Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams cancels his top-30 visit with the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears have the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the consensus is they are taking USC quarterback Caleb Williams. If Caleb seems to be going to the Bears, why would he cancel his top-30 visit that was scheduled for this week?

It was reported by Kalyn Kahler, senior writer for The Athletic, that Caleb Williams canceled his top-30 visit with the Chicago Bears on Friday.

Caleb Williams’s team stated it was due to logistics. Caleb is working out in Jacksonville, Florida, so he does not want to travel from Indianapolis for the combine, to Chicago for a visit, to Jacksonville, and then out west to USC for his Pro Day.

Worry on Caleb Williams

One could read into this very deeply. Early reports, now denied by Williams and his team, indicated that Caleb did not want to be drafted by Chicago. Throughout this draft process, it has been seen that Caleb Williams has been calculated in all his decisions. As Kalyn Kahler stated, it could be logistics or a conscious decision to avoid the Bears. Kahler has written about Caleb in the past, so one would assume she has some insight into the situation.

What is a Top-30 Visit?

Leading up to the draft, all 32 NFL teams can bring 30 players on individual visits to their facilities for a private meeting. A team’s top-30 visit list is for exclusive players the team is interested in drafting.

Most teams don’t start bringing in players for their top 30 visits until the end of March or early April. Why are the Bears trying to bring Williams to Halas Hall this early?

Caleb Williams or Justin Fields

The Chicago Bears planned on bringing in Caleb Williams much earlier than the anticipated window for top-30 visits. Why?

The timeline to move Justin Fields.

In his press conference leading into the combine, Ryan Poles stated that they (Chicago Bears management) want to “do right by” Justin Fields if the team is to trade him. Poles wants Fields on a new team ahead of NFL free agency’s opening on March 13. That way, Fields gets a fresh start as early as possible.

Kahler said on NBC Sports, “She imagines the Bears would be frustrated because it messes with the timeline of moving Justin Fields.” Any Bears officials did not state this, it was just a guess on her part.

Yahoo Sports had a theory as well. Caleb Williams did not turn in any medical data at the combine; he will only do that for teams he visits. If the Bears want to confirm Williams as the number one pick, medicals will play a crucial role.

One would assume this will be rescheduled for after USC’s Pro Day (March 20th), but no official top-30 visit for Caleb and the Bears has been released.