Caleb Williams has arrived to the Chicago Bears amid almost exclusively fanfare, though there was a little media drama involving one of his now teammates in the weeks leading up to the NFL draft.
Second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson appeared on the “Up & Adams Show” with Kay Adams on March 20 and answered a question about the “Hollywood” element of Williams’ stardom, particularly as he played for USC in Los Angeles for two years and won himself a Heisman Trophy there in 2022.
Johnson on Monday, April 30, spoke publicly about the issue he took with widespread aggregation of his comments during the answer to that question, saying that the context was often ignored, leading to the distortion and/or loss of his message along the way.
“That conversation was taken completely the wrong way,” Johnson told the Parkins and Spiegel Show Show on 670 The Score. “People, to me, just wanted click-bait and didn’t even take into consideration the whole context of the damn conversation.”
Johnson went on to explain that he only used the term “Hollywood” in his response because Adams continued to use it herself in her questions.
“When we were talking, [Adams] had brought up, ‘Oh, how do you feel about Caleb Williams if he comes and you guys draft him? He’s like Hollywood, how do you think the Hollywood will come into the locker room?’” Johnson continued. “She kept using the word ‘Hollywood.’ I never said, ‘He’s Hollywood, he’s this and that.’ I don’t know the dude. As far as I know, Heisman winner, elite dude from Oklahoma who transferred to USC that slings the ball. I mean, that’s all I know of the kid.”
Jaylon Johnson Caught Heat From Media, Fans and Bears GM Ryan Poles After ‘Hollywood’ Comments
GettyChicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
Johnson’s initial answer to Adams’ question back in March that picked up aggregate steam was the following:
“Honestly, you just humble yourself coming into the building. I feel like it’s one of those things where you can’t bring that Hollywood stuff into the building especially with guys who have played the game at a high level for consecutive years,” Johnson said. “Certain guys in the locker room, we’re going to see through that. What you did in college, the Hollywood, it’s like nah, you gotta prove yourself. Stuff like that doesn’t matter.”
Bears general manager Ryan Poles took exception to the “Hollywood” characterization of Williams in an interview with in the week leading up to the NFL draft Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune, though Poles didn’t mention Johnson by name.
“That Hollywood thing? Like, [Williams] lives in Hollywood right now. He’s only been there for two years, and he has some really cool things going on. He took advantage of his NIL thing to set himself up business-wise, and he’s going to do really well in his life because of it,” Poles said. “But he’s very low-key. He’s not a spotlight guy. He tries to move under the radar. And I really don’t think he needs the flashy lights to feed off in order to be successful.”
Ryan Poles Sent Top Players to Meet Caleb Williams Ahead of NFL Draft, Jaylon Johnson Reached Out to QB Privately
GettyChicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles.
Perhaps in part because of the “Hollywood” controversy, Poles sent some of the team’s top players to a pre-draft meeting/dinner with Williams so as to head off any potential locker room issues.
“When Caleb Williams visited Chicago in early April, the Bears did something smart,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on April 22. “Rather than have Williams go to dinner with their front office and coaches, they sent him to dinner with team leaders Cole Kmet, DJ Moore, T.J. Edwards and others. The thinking was, those are some of the team’s most respected players, the players whom others listen to, and this group then would be able to tell the other players what they were getting in Williams, who is likely to be the No. 1 overall pick.”
As for Johnson’s perception of Williams, and Williams’ feeling about how that perception was perhaps mis-portrayed in the media, the two men “cleared the air” on that themselves via a text exchange and short phone conversation, Johnson said Monday.
I cleared the air and was like, “Hey, that wasn’t what it was supposed to be, I don’t know you.”
He hit me and was like, “Hey, I’m a winner, I just want to win.”
We had that conversation. I’m like, “It’s all good.” Then I talked a little trash about Utah and USC, and it was all good.
I can’t wait to build a relationship.
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