Caleb Williams draft rumors: What early visit to Bears means for USC QB, potential Justin Fields trade

Caleb Williams is hosting one of the most unique pre-draft processes the NFL has seen from a top quarterback prospect.

The USC product attended the 2024 NFL Combine but didn’t participate in the on-field drills. He also unprecedentedly declined participation in medical exams at the event, citing that he would only allow teams that bring him on visits to examine him.

Williams also planned to take an “extraordinarily early” top-30 visit, as the Bears are set to bring him in for one Tuesday, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Williams’ camp eventually changed plans though, so that will buy Chicago more time to ponder Justin Fields’ future.

Many believe the Bears will trade the 2021 first-round pick to get a fresh start at quarterback, and Williams’ early visit will only fuel that continued speculation.

MORE: Latest news, updates on potential Justin Fields landing spots

Here’s what to know about Williams’ postponed Bears visit and what it might mean for Chicago’s plans at quarterback. 

Caleb Williams draft rumors, top-30 visit explainedThe Bears planned to host Williams on a pre-draft visit Tuesday. That would have been one of the earliest official pre-draft visits for any 2024 NFL Draft prospect.

Typically, teams host individual prospect meetings in late March and throughout April as the Pro Day circuit is completed. Chicago wanted to meet with Williams shortly after the 2024 NFL Combine, but Williams’ team ultimately decided to focus on his Pro Day first, Breer reports.

The idea was pretty simple. Chicago wanted to check some final boxes before finalizing its plan at quarterback before free agency starts next week. In the end, Williams and the team decided to move things around: Rather than shuttling the quarterback to and from California again, in the midst of preparations for his March 20 pro day, the Bears will host Williams in Chicago shortly after that instead.

Chicago’s desire to host an early meeting was sensible. The Bears need to collect medical information on Williams since he declined to participate in exams at the NFL Combine, and doing so earlier in the offseason will allow the team to make a better-informed choice about its quarterback plans.

The Bears are under more pressure than the average team with the No. 1 overall selection. Why? Chicago will want to trade Fields if it decides the consensus top prospect Williams is their quarterback of the future.

Trading Fields ahead of free agency is the best way to maximize his value. His market will be more robust when teams like the Falcons, Vikings and Buccaneers face uncertainty about their futures at quarterback.

That’s why the Bears were looking to be “aggressive in getting answers on Williams, who they see as a unique talent with separation from the rest of the quarterback, and one that has separated himself from the rest of his class,” per Breer.

Williams’ early top-30 visit was meant to be a part of that aggressive approach. Instead, the Bears will wait until after free agency begins until getting one-on-one time with Williams.

MORE: NFL Combine takeaways | Winners & losers

Justin Fields trade rumorsThe Bears’ incentive to trade Fields would increase If Williams nails his pre-draft visit with Chicago. A deal could have happened expeditiously if Williams cemented himself as the team’s choice at No. 1 during his visit to Chicago.

But without certain information about Williams, the Bears may have to wait to feel 100 percent comfortable with trading Fields.

That’s part of why Bears general manager Ryan Poles is “open to waiting a bit” to trade Fields if the quarterback market is slow to develop, per Breer. The landing spots for Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield may influence his timeline, and so too could Chicago’s opinion of Williams.

The Bears’ valuation of Fields could also delay any potential trade. Currently, Chicago is using the 2013 and 2018 Alex Smith trades and the 2021 Sam Darnold deal as potential models for a deal, per Breer. Each of those trades featured a Day 2 pick as part of the deal, with the first Smith and Darnold deals fetching second-round picks while the second Smith trade was built around a third-round pick.

That doesn’t mean the Bears will wait to deal Fields until they can get that type of package. Nor does it mean that the Bears would wait until after Williams’ visit to select Fields. As mentioned, his value could evaporate if teams fill their quarterback needs; he is also due a contract extension, which could complicate and trade agreement.

Either way, the Bears appear to be at their crossroads; and in an ideal world, Chicago would make a decision about its future before free agency begins in earnest.

But can the Bears do that without having met with Williams? That is the big question the team must answer ahead of free agency.