Chicago Bears are embracing Caleb Williams, and Williams is embracing Chicago

LAKE FOREST – Cole Kmet has a unique vantage point with the Bears’ search for a franchise quarterback compared to most players on the team.

Kmet, a St. Viator alumnus, grew up a Bears fan and watched quarterbacks like Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton and Jay Cutler try to fill the void. He has also watched as a teammate while others such as Mitch Trubisky, Nick Foles, Andy Dalton and Justin Fields tried to rise to the moment on the field.

That’s why it has been fun for Kmet to watch Bears fans embrace rookie quarterback Caleb Williams since the team drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in April.

“It’s cool to see everyone as excited as they are for him,” Kmet said when he met with reporters Tuesday at Halas Hall for the start of mandatory minicamp. “More importantly, he’s super excited to be here. I think he’s starting to get the understanding of what this means to the city and what he means to the city. He’s definitely embracing all that.”

There are plenty of moments to embrace. Williams has made the rounds getting to know his new city, attending different sporting events over the past couple of months. Each time he does, Bears fans have showered Williams with cheers.

A video that surfaced over the weekend on social media showed just how much Bears fans have embraced their new franchise quarterback. It showed Williams at a bar in Chicago singing along to a song with fans and appreciating the moment when fans chanted “M-V-P” toward Williams.

Kmet tried not to judge Williams before meeting him. He had heard the perception of Williams being a diva because he played in Los Angeles for a couple seasons with USC. There were also the questions whether Bears fans would accept Williams if they drafted him because so many fans supported Fields.

But once he got to know Williams, Kmet quickly learned how competitive Williams is and how much he wants to succeed as he learned more about the franchise.

“I think he’s been understanding what it means to people and how difficult it is here,” Kmet said. “That being said, he’s been in the limelight for a long time. I personally think L.A. is a little bit different than Chicago. The people here, this is close to their heart and this means a lot to a lot of people here. So there’s that element to it, but he doesn’t shy away from it.”

That realization is part of why Williams and his teammates have been seen around town together so much over the past couple of months. Kmet, new Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen, DJ Moore and others have spent time with Williams to learn who truly is.

“It’s cool to see everyone as excited as they are for him. More importantly, he’s super excited to be here. I think he’s starting to get the understanding of what this means to the city and what he means to the city. He’s definitely embracing all that.”

—  Cole Kmet, Bears tight end

Kmet learned how competitive Williams is during a recent outing to Topgolf. He, Williams and some other teammates kept hitting golf balls until 1 a.m. because Williams didn’t want to leave until his team won.

“It’s just understanding each other’s energy,” Allen said. “It’s like Kobe [Bryant] said, it’s finding those ticks, how to get into his head, how to make him a great competitor, what makes him tick.”

Finding those things is what Allen and Kmet believe will help them aid Williams in his transition to the NFL. While the warm ovations and videos from bars are fun, what ultimately matters to Bears fans is whether Williams ends up becoming the franchise quarterback they hope he can be.

There are signs that Williams is ready for the challenge.

“You can tell that he wants to compete and he wants to be remembered for a very long time,” Kmet said. “So I think he’s ready for this opportunity and he just has the demeanor about him that you have that feeling that he can succeed here.”