Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Is Caleb Williams making the Bears a free-agent destination?
20 Mar 2026
Chapter 1: How is Caleb Williams transforming the Bears into a free-agent destination?
Rahimi Harrison-Grody, middays 10 to 2 on 104.3 The Score.
This is 104.3 The Score on a Friday. Mark Brody jamming out. Layla Rahimi with you. And we listened to what Kobe Bryant, the Bears' biggest free agent acquisition so far, had to say to Kay Adams regarding the business of the Bears, how he came to be with the team, and once again reiterated the feeling of being wanted.
And I think part of the reason he liked this option for him coming from an excellent Seattle defense, which we've discussed, he himself had a very good year. A lot of fans are excited about this acquisition is not just because of him being wanted, but who he was going to work with.
So we knew that part of the reason Ben Johnson, the hottest name in the coaching carousel of the cycle, whatever you want to call it, the offensive genius who left Detroit's building. We knew that a major, major reason why he chose to come here was because he wanted to work with Caleb Williams. Well, he's not the only one. Listen to what Kobe Bryant had to say.
It's always tough leaving Seattle. What we've built for the last two years with Coach Mike, all my brothers, like I said, that was definitely the toughest thing about it, leaving those guys. Just like you said with, you know, Keller Williams, just the special talent he is, the leader he is. He actually reached out to me. He was the first person to reach out to me when I did sign.
And we were texting back and forth, you know, just catching up, getting to know each other and stuff like that. And just, you know,
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Chapter 2: What impact does Kobe Bryant's acquisition have on the Bears?
Telling him, you know, we could build and, you know, just going off of that. And, you know, just for him reaching out to me meant a lot, honestly. You know, with me playing safety, him being quarterback and, you know, him recognizing my game and vice versa. Elite talent. He's just scratching the surface, honestly. Like I said in the press conference last week.
I'm excited to, you know, watch him play and watch him be great this year for sure.
What was the welcome message? The first text was, yeah.
It was legit. Like, he'd be like, yo, just, you know, hit my lines. And, you know, we'd text. And then, yeah, I told him I got to come to L.A. and go to a Lakers game. So he's a L.A. guy.
Yeah. I love this. Maybe he can help you with the negotiations with Kyra to get that number.
I might have him, you know, pay for the number for me.
That's right, Caleb.
It's on you. Well, well, well. How the turntables. Would you listen to that? The quarterback is a selling point in Chicago.
That's what it really made me think. The selling point is huge. But also, the... Caleb Williams, the leadership and now the ownership of the team. Something he did not have in his first year with the Bears. The leadership was a little bit shaky. And I don't know that everybody bought in to his ownership of the team. And that's what you want.
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Chapter 3: Why did Ben Johnson choose to work with Caleb Williams?
Not just when they draft a wide receiver. Not when they bring in Colson. When he's talking about the defensive guys, that's a different Caleb Williams, who I think has...
rehabbed his reputation based on that first year and some of the stuff that was written and maybe some of it like there might have been points of it that were true he's kind of he's not a complete product i don't think in any way shape or form yet caleb williams right but boy has he come a long way in a year plus
I mean, that's it. I don't think that's something we would have heard last year even, after this rookie season.
No, would not have.
I didn't. I also think that as a rookie, you can only do so much. The NFL hierarchy and how it works, and even if you're a quarterback, I think the job and the culture still dictates...
an inherent humility and understanding that you're not going to be the dude in in year one you know you're not you're learning the ways of the team at that point you're learning the ways of the nfl his dad illustrated the hardships that he went through from a tape viewing standpoint for example how lonely that must have felt for him so when i consider all of those things
I don't fault him for not wanting to come in gangbusters and say, you know, hey, I'm the guy, rookie quarterback. Let's go. I'm going to do this. You know, that's not really... You do, but you do it with deference to your veteran teammates.
He had Keenan Allen and Mercedes Lewis.
Excellent, excellent resources. Two excellent resources.
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Chapter 4: How does Caleb Williams' leadership differ from his first year?
So Jeremy Warner, the publisher of IlliniInquirer.com, will join us next to talk about the second round of the tournament.