Caleb Williams initially didn’t want the Chicago Bears to draft him. That information — unveiled from an excerpt of Seth Wickersham’s latest book, “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback” — dominated the Thursday news cycle.

Not great for the brand when the father of a quarterback selected No. 1 overall says, per Wickersham, “Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die.”

The Williams family was concerned about the Bears’ poor track record of developing quarterbacks. Caleb himself reportedly was troubled by the prospect of working with then-offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.

Well, Waldron’s gone. So is then-head coach Matt Eberflus.

Ben Johnson is here now, and Williams loves that.

That’s why the report was of no concern to the new Bears head coach. Johnson appeared on FS1 on Thursday afternoon and clearly was focused on the future when asked about Williams’ previous trepidations about the Bears.

“I see this is what a great opportunity we have to do something that really has never been done,” Johnson said on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd. “There hasn’t been a 4,000-yard passer here in this franchise, and I think Caleb is going to be the first one and one of many years, many seasons to come, where he’s able to accomplish that feat. So, I see a chance for greatness here.

“For him, he’s been communicating that way, and he feels the same way. I don’t know what was going on prior to him joining the organization, but he is very proud to be a Chicago Bear. That’s what our conversations have included, and he’s really excited to get to work right now and be the best version of himself for 2025.”

Johnson knows there will be some bumps in the road, but he’s not concerned about Williams losing his faith in the current Bears power structure and its organizational goals. The coaching staff will continue to push for development at every turn.

“There’s no question we’re going to face adversity both. He will,” Johnson said. “We want to see growth from here to here over the course of season. It’s not going to be linear growth. It’s going to be a little bit of ups and downs and stairsteps along the way. But we want to see, from Game 1 to Game 17, that we’re getting better as a whole. And that’s not just him, that’s us as a team as well. So, I’m excited. That’s what makes coaching fun, is when the hiccups occur, when the adversity strikes, how do we respond to it? That’s what that’s when you find out who you are as a man.”

Williams has been complimentary of Johnson at every turn and said he let out a scream of joy when he found out the coach had been hired. Williams wants to be pushed, and Johnson has the personality to do that. His résumé commands respect, and the goal is to form a lasting partnership that ushers in a period of sustained success.