Bears fans are all in on Caleb Williams and took down Caitlin Clark record to prove it

The 2024 NFL Draft began with an onslaught of offensive prospects. A total of 14 offensive players were selected before a single player was selected on the defensive side of the ball, the longest stretch of offensive picks in any NFL Draft. Most notably, six quarterbacks were selected in the top 12 picks for the first time in NFL history. Yet, despite all of the offensive competition in this year’s draft class, one prospect sat atop his peers. 

With the 2024 NFL Draft officially underway in Detroit, the Chicago Bears were on the clock. It was more of a formality than anything else — everyone knew exactly what they would scribble on their draft selection card: “Williams, Caleb. QB.”

USC quarterback Caleb Williams became Chicago’s first No. 1 overall pick in 77 years. Williams has been touted as a generational talent ever since he helped USC head coach Lincoln Riley revive a program that was wallowing in mediocrity for years. The 22-year-old quarterback captivated fans with backyard artistry, showing the ability to throw from anywhere on the field, at any time, using an array of arm angles. Off the field, his name grew beyond collegiate football as he struck endorsement deals from his Southern California penthouse.

Bears QB Caleb Williams already broke a record as a professional athlete

Following his selection as the No. 1 overall pick, Williams broke his first record as a professional athlete. Williams' Bears jersey broke the Fanatics record for draft night merchandise sales for any draft pick in any sport, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported. The previous record was set last week by former Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, who was selected in the WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever earlier this month.

Few prospects generated the buzz that has followed Williams, and the same can be said about Clark. Like Williams, Clark captivated her audience with an illustrious collegiate career that led to her selection at No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft.

Clark gained national attention during her time in Iowa, where she broke the all-time NCAA DI scoring record for men's and women's basketball. Where Clark went, viewers followed: the WNBA Draft broke viewership records with 2.45 million average viewers. And the Clark Effect extends to apparel, too. On draft night, Clark broke yet another record: Her jersey saw the highest sales of any jersey on draft night in Fanatics history.

Records were meant to be broken, however, and Clark's merchandise record didn't last long.

It’s understandable why Bears fans are this excited. Chicago has not seen quarterback stability since Sid Luckman helped George Halas revolutionize the forward pass in the 1940s. The Bears have seen their fair share of struggles in the Super Bowl era. Aside from one Super Bowl win shouldered by Buddy Ryan's legendary 4-6 defense in 1985, the Bears have rarely sniffed postseason success, and there's a simple explanation for it: the team has failed to find a franchise quarterback.

Chicago has spent plenty of first-round picks hoping to strike gold on the next great NFL quarterback. Quarterback Justin Fields, who was traded this offseason, was the latest in a line of failed experiments that previously featured Mitch Trubisky, who Chicago drafted ahead of quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in the 2017 NFL Draft.

With their professional careers beginning, Williams and Clark will look to break records where it truly matters: on grass football fields and hardwood basketball courts.