Caleb Williams had plenty of confidence coming into the NFL. After being drafted with the No. 1 pick by the Chicago Bears, Williams boldly reached out to the team's rookie punter, Tory Taylor, to inform him that he'd scarcely be needed in 2024.
"Hey, you're not going to punt too much here," Williams reportedly texted Taylor after the Bears drafted him. Since then, Chicago has attempted the third-most punts in the NFL, something play-by-play announcer Al Michaels couldn't help but note when discussing the team's offense on Thursday Night Football.
"Well ... 71 punts. Third most in the league," Michaels said as Taylor booted away a kick in the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks.
.@ChicagoBears special teams with a strong play!
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It's a comment from Williams that aged like milk, and even Michaels had some fun at the rookie quarterback's expense by bringing it up on the Prime Video broadcast. By the end of the first half of Thursday's game, Taylor had already punted three times.
Williams's rookie season has not gone how he was expecting on draft day, when he confidently made those claims about Chicago's punting situation. While Williams continues to adjust to life in the NFL, the Bears special teams unit has gotten plenty of punting reps in during the 2024 season.
The 23-year-old, who is the most-sacked quarterback in football this year, will hope to live up to his brazen claims next season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Al Michaels Teased Bears by Rehashing Caleb Williams's Draft Day Quote That Aged Poorly.
