Caleb Williams revealed he had to change his number after falling for a prankster pretending to be the Detroit Lions‘ Ben Johnson by saying the offensive coordinator was taking over the Chicago Bears, who are searching for a new head coach.
Despite the rookie quarterback tossing for 3541 yards and 20 touchdowns, allowing just six interceptions, the Bears finished 5-12 and a distant last in the NFC North thus meaning Matt Eberflus was axed in November.
Their struggles can be highlighted by the fact that the 23-year-old Williams was sacked 68 times, including nine times against the New England Patriots alone, yet data shows he avoided an additional 50 sacks.
So after a dismal 2024/25 NFL season, that had began with so much promise after the team raced into a 4-2 start, they’re looking for a new chief to steer the direction at Soldier Field, leading to the hilarious prank on the USC Trojans graduate.
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“I ain’t going to lie, it was a classic prank,” Williams told The St. Brown Podcast, ran by the Lions’ Amon-Ra. “I’ve got to give them props. I wasn’t locked in at the moment.”
What was the prank?
A text from the random number read: “Hey Caleb, this is Ben Johnson. Just wanted to reach out ahead of time before it gets released to the media, I will be taking the HC job. Very excited to work with you in the future. Great things.”
Initially sucked in, Williams asked if it was actually the Lions’ OC and the prankster confirmed, leading to the youngster to express his excitement and optimism as he declared a ‘shared’ goal of reaching the NFL Playoffs for the first time since 2020.
He then planned to get to know his ‘new’ head coach a little bit better with a FaceTime call, but this is where his dreams fell apart as it turned out not to be the 38-year-old on the other end of the line.
It’s a shame for the quarterback because Johnson has lit up the offense at Ford Field by creating a dynamic rushing and catching threat with Jared Goff (QB), Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery (running backs), Amon-Ra St. Brown (wide receiver) and Sam Laporta (tight end).
The team scored 564 points (NFL most) on their way to winning the NFC North with a 15-2 record ahead of the Minnesota Vikings, as they clinched their first ever conference berth and received seven Pro Bowl nominations.