This is the most anticlimactic list we do around here, because in 14 of the previous 17 installments of this annual ranking, the quarterback had been number one. While I gave Staley the Bear serious consideration this year, let’s make it 15 of 18 with Caleb Williams taking the top spot.
I only had Caleb third in his rookie season. He was set up to be a part of the offense, and not the focal point. If the Bears were going to win games with him as a rookie, they’d do so with him playing a role, not leading the way. The Bears only won five games, and the best thing about 2024 was that it was such a clusterflus that it led to a house cleaning and the hiring of Ben Johnson.
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Last year, Caleb was number one on my list, because even though Ben was bringing a total offensive and cultural makeover, he was filling Caleb’s plate up. If the Bears were going to win games in 2025, it was going to be because of #18. Williams led the Bears to an NFC North crown and their first playoff win since 2010. His late-game performances saw Superman become the Iceman, as he led the game-winning drive 6 times, and then he did it again in the Wildcard game against the Green Bay Packers.
Caleb and many offensive skill players got together before the offseason activities began, and then again after they ended.
He not only wants to be great, but also to be the greatest of all time, and he has the right coach to help him get there: Ben Johnson. Their relationship is stronger in year two, and another year together brings greater familiarity with the playbook and a better understanding of what each wants in different situations.
“I think it comes with the comfort level in terms of knowing what’s being asked in terms of the offense,” Johnson said about Caleb in June. “We’re all aligned on what we want a certain route to look like, where we want the ball to be thrown, and so, [with] routes on air, he can tell the receiver, ‘hey, you’re missing your depth,’ or ‘expect the ball to be at this spot.’ He’s stepped up, and he’s continuing to get better every single day, and it’s just a matter of how many reps can we continue to pile on over the course of training camp. But he certainly is a vocal presence within our offense and our entire team.”
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His awareness of his play and what he needs to work on led to a massive improvement from year one to year two, and it’s why I’m not worried about him tightening up his play heading into year three.
“There’s so much to unlock,” Williams said via the team’s site, “there’s so much to get better at, there’s so much left of ball for me and us and accolades that we’ll have as a team.”
He’s one of the most popular players in the league, as evidenced by being picked as Madden 27 cover athlete, but that popularity, coupled with the Bears winning games, will just lead to more criticism. And no matter how small it is or how manufactured for clicks it is, it’s something he listens to.
From NFL.com:
“Yeah, I love them. It’s one of my favorite things,” he said of the haters in a recent interview with the Pardon My Take podcast that aired late last week. “I don’t need them, but it’s always a little extra belief in myself, a little extra confidence in myself. It’s a little more delusion that I add to myself. It’s all these things combined and it just throws a little bit of gas on the fire, and all you need is a little bit.”
Caleb’s drive to be great and the chip on his shoulder to prove the doubters wrong are traits we’ve seen in the most successful athletes of all time, and that’s the career trajectory he’s on.
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In 2024, he set all the Bears’ rookie passing records, and in 2025, he broke the franchise record for passing yards.
What records will he break in 2026?
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