Ad Disclosure
Boomer Esiason unloads on Caleb Williams over Bears report
Published:
Boomer Esiason tore into Caleb Williams on his Boomer and Gio radio show on Friday following revelations that the former USC quarterback and his family attempted to avoid the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Esiason, a former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, called the “level of entitlement” with Williams “breathtaking” and said it was no wonder Matt Eberflus was fired.
“I understand that there could be a discussion, ‘Hey this is where quarterbacks go to die.’ Well, go fix it. Be the reason that the team is going to turn it around and you be the player that you think you are,” Esiason said. “Keep your mouth shut. You’re going into the greatest league that there’s ever been for the sport we all love. You’re going to have a chance one day to make $500 million because guys like me and guys before me all went on strike so you could actually make more money.
“So keep your piehole shut and go out and play football and earn your keep and earn your respect.”
Earlier this week, ESPN published an excerpt from a forthcoming book by Seth Wickersham that contained, among other things, comments from Williams and his father, Carl, about their desire to avoid the Bears in the draft. According to Wickersham, the Williams family considered signing with a UFL team to skirt the 2024 NFL Draft and sign as a free agent. The family also met with labor lawyers and agents.
Carl Williams was quoted calling the rookie wage scale “unconstitutional” and saying the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement was the “worst piece of s—” in sports history.
It was also revealed that Williams would occasionally watch film alone during his rookie season. “No one tells me what to watch,” Williams said, per Wickersham. That admission garnered some sympathy for Williams in certain circles, but Esiason wasn’t having it.
“Oh, I thought the kid was so great he didn’t need coaching,” Esiason quipped.
Esiason also took a swipe at Carl Williams, saying he is “completely devoid of reality.”
It’s worth noting that Chicago’s coaching was poor enough during Williams’s rookie season that the franchise made an in-season coaching move for the first time in its history. The offensive coordinator was axed after 9 games and the head coach was dismissed after Thanksgiving.
Ben Johnson, the man hired to replace Eberflus, also seems to be very much in Williams’s corner. And Chicago has invested significant capital this offseason, both in free agency and in the 2025 NFL Draft, to provide Williams with more resources in his sophomore campaign.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.