Eagle-eyed Chicago Bears fans noticed something last year. During Hard Knocks, HBO’s training camp series that covered the team in 2024, footage showed quarterback Caleb Williams having private meetings with head coach Matt Eberflus. This wasn’t out of the ordinary. Coaches and quarterbacks always have strong personal relationships, given their importance to the team. However, fans couldn’t help but notice that Williams seemed somewhat disinterested in Eberflus’ words. He didn’t take extensive notes and seemed bored.
At the time, some accused the quarterback of not taking his job seriously. However, with the benefit of hindsight, it might be more accurate to say Williams didn’t take Eberflus seriously. Reports have surfaced recently about how poorly the previous coaching staff managed the quarterback. More specifically, it was an apparent hands-off approach that rankled him the most. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN further confirmed these rumors. Even people inside Halas Hall recognized how nonchalant Eberflus was being about it.
But the Bears found out early that the combination of Waldron and Eberflus wouldn’t be strong enough for Williams. (Eberflus, now the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, was not made available for this story.) As one team source put it, the staff projected the feeling of, “We will figure it out, he’s a rookie,” whereas more direct tutelage on the basics of quarterback play was needed. It’s also notable that the Bears did not have another veteran on the roster for Williams to lean on, which multiple sources found problematic.
Eberflus thought he had a free pass with Caleb Williams.
It sounds like he was under the impression that drafting the young quarterback bought him some time. After all, coaches and quarterbacks need to stay together for more than one year, right? Unfortunately, Eberflus hadn’t remembered his history lesson. The Bears had fired John Fox one year after drafting Mitch Trubisky and Matt Nagy one year after drafting Justin Fields. There was no evidence to suggest he was safe if the team crashed and burned last season. Going from 3-1 to another double-digit losing streak sealed his fate. It became evident that Caleb Williams was not in capable hands, and the quarterback knew it. Trying to stick things out another year would’ve probably led to a massive rift between the two.
