Screengrab on Twitter/ @StBrownPodcast
The Chicago Bears getting embarrassed by the Detroit Lions seems to be something of a regular occurrence in recent years, with the Lions sweeping their NFC North rivals earlier this season.
Bears’ No. 1 pick Caleb Williams still has some ways to go before developing into a franchise quarterback, including learning how to escape heavy pressure, read different defensive schemes and… spot a catfish.
Williams was victim to a cruel prank last weekend when some tricksters got his number and pretended to be Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who at the time was set to interview for the Bears’ head coaching vacancy.
Williams received a text from the fake Johnson in which Johnson said he was taking the Bears’ job and was excited to work with Williams. When Williams tried Face-timing the number, he quickly found out he was being pranked.
“You’re a great QB, I’m so glad you’re going to get a new head coach. I don’t know if it’s Ben Johnson, but I’m sorry about this,” one of the pranksters said over the phone.
After the prank went viral, Williams told his side of the story on a recent episode of the St. Brown Podcast:
“I reached out to Amon-Ra and I asked Amon-Ra for Ben’s number not for obviously—I wasn’t going to save his number ‘cause he’s not our coach and I wasn’t going to do all that… I was asking him so I could see if it matches this number,” Williams said.
Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown then jumped in to provide some clarity.
“He texts me, ‘What’s Ben’s number? I got these random dudes trying to hit me up saying they’re Ben.’ I go, ‘F— out of here, Ben ain’t coming to Chicago,’” St. Brown said. “Then he goes, ‘Nah, these guys are hitting me up saying they’re Ben.’ But at this time I was eating dinner so I didn’t see my phone, 20 minutes later I see the text but it’s too late. He goes, ‘All good. I called and it wasn’t him.’”
“The text was so official. I’ve gotten that text from college coaches and other coaches before getting drafted and all that in different ways.”
Bears QB Caleb Williams gives a play-by-play of getting tricked into thinking Ben Johnson was taking the Bears job. pic.twitter.com/rtVd8tvY96
— St. Brown Podcast (@StBrownPodcast) January 15, 2025
Williams admitted he got duped by the “official” text he received from the fake Johnson prior to the call.
“The text was so, like, official,” Williams said. “I’ve gotten that text from college coaches and other coaches before getting drafted and all that in different ways. So it looked mad professional. I was like, ‘Alright, I’m just gonna reach out…’
“It was a classic prank. It was a grade A, S-tier prank. I gotta give them props,” Williams added.
The Bears quarterback said that he has since changed his phone number—consider it a lesson learned.
