Even before he started college, Caleb Williams wanted to become the #1 overall pick in the draft. It was one of his goals when he started planning his football career, along with winning the Heisman Trophy. Both have been accomplished. Now his next objective is clear: become the best franchise quarterback in Chicago Bears history and win multiple Super Bowls. No big deal, right? Everybody knows what this team’s history is like at quarterback: a couple of minor successes scattered between long stretches of failure.
Make no mistake. Lots of people are hoping Williams succeeds—Bears fans, obviously, GM Ryan Poles and the rest of the current regime, his family, friends, and former teammates. However, it goes even further than that. A lot of people in high places have their eyes on Williams. They not only feel he can be one of the NFL’s next big stars, but maybe he can unlock something the league has hoped to tap into for many years. Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog revealed one particular name you’d never expect.
Caleb still has to produce. But if he does so at a high level, he is going to be the biggest star in the sport. That’s not hyperbole, it is a fact. A source close to Roger Goodell has told me the commissioner believes the greatest untapped resource in the NFL is a star quarterback in Chicago. With New York City split between two teams that play in New Jersey, Chicago is the most expansive football market in the United States. (Dallas’ monopoly over a huge chunk of the nation is its primary challenger.) Caleb can be bigger than Mahomes. Bigger than Rodgers. Bigger than Dak and Burrow and Josh Allen combined.
Because Caleb comes with more than just the talent required to be the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. He also comes with that bit of Evita, that little bit of star quality. It’s what separates him from the rest of us.
Chicago is not only a massive media market but also a massive sports market. The NFL has done really well when the Bears are good. If you don’t think they have an impact on the league’s bottom line, consider this. From 2015 to 2017, the NFL saw its viewership go into a steep three-year decline from 18,100 average viewers to 14,959. People couldn’t find an answer to reverse the damage. Then, in 2018, the Bears broke through for a 12-4 record, becoming one of the league’s more exciting teams.
Viewership reversed course, rising to 15,759 that season. It’s been steadily rising ever since.
It’s not a coincidence the Bears had the highest Super Bowl rating ever in 1986, which they held for a decade. They had the second-highest ever in 2007. This team draws lots of attention, and with that attention comes money. Keep in mind they’ve done it without the benefit of a superstar quarterback. Imagine if they had one. Goodell certainly does. He knows what having a bankable star in Chicago can do. If Patrick Mahomes is doing what he’s done in Kansas City, Caleb Williams can break box office records in this football-crazed town.
