Caleb Williams addressed reports that he didn’t want the Chicago Bears to draft him head-on during a Wednesday press conference at Halas Hall.

He didn’t deny anything that came out from a book excerpt designed to promote Seth Wickersham’s upcoming release of “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,” but he wanted to clarify and provide context to the information made public that created a national conversation topic and a “distraction” for the forward-thinking Bears.

Williams didn’t dodge any aspect of the excerpt, which included details about the Williams family’s thoughts of circumventing the draft to avoid Chicago — including concerns about the Bears’ issues developing quarterbacks — to a pre-draft meeting that made the then-USC quarterback comfortable going to the Bears at No. 1 overall.

That obviously wasn’t the only meeting Williams took during the pre-draft process. He spoke with several teams, as all prospects do before the draft itself. That included the Minnesota Vikings, who were looking for a quarterback and held the No. 10 pick.

Williams in no way would fall that far, but trades made it possible for him to land with most any team.

“I had a good visit at the other place — Minnesota — with Kevin O’Connell,” Williams told reporters in the press conference. “Good staff and all of that, obviously. He just won the Coach of the Year award and things like that. Obviously, a good staff.”

That interested Williams. According to the book, Williams said he could see himself playing for the Vikings. O’Connell was a popular young coach and a former quarterback with a great reputation, and the Vikings had Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison at wide receiver. That would be an attractive landing spot for any quarterback, including J.J. McCarthy, whom Minnesota eventually selected.

Williams met with the Bears and was happy with his final choice. While his rookie season was wrought with fired coaches and a 5-12 record, he’s now working with respected offensive mind Ben Johnson in Chicago. While it took a year, Williams got the coach-quarterback pairing he sought.

Williams left that pre-draft meeting with the Bears and talked to his dad about the positive impression made upon him. He was comfortable with Chicago taking him No. 1 from then on — a point often lost in the last few weeks — and he’s excited about the future with Johnson.

“The main goal and the main objective of being here is to turn (this) around,” Williams said. “That’s why I was selected No. 1. That’s what we’re here to do. That’s what they brought me here to do.”