Caleb Williams had doubts about coming to the Bears when he was the hottest quarterback in the 2024 draft, and as his rookie season came to its dreary end after a series of firings and defeats, it seemed he was right to be worried.
A year later, even after a crushing 20-17 overtime loss to the Rams on Sunday in the divisional round of the playoffs, the vibe was sharply different. Locker cleanout day at Halas Hall on Monday was far less depressing than usual, and the outlook going forward was bright and ambitious.
Everything changed for Williams after a season working with coach Ben Johnson and the thrill of the Bears skyrocketing from the bottom of the NFC North to a division title and a playoff victory over the rival Packers, and his mind already was spinning with possibilities.
The taste of success, both in his individual improvement and the team’s playoff push, made him hungrier.
“You see what championship level is,” Williams said. “You see what you have to do, you figure it out, and when you get knocked down, you get back up. That’s what we’re going to do.
“We never stay down. We keep fighting. Bringing that mentality to next year and then finding ways to bring that hunger for all four quarters and every single game is going to be important.”
Williams still has substantial work ahead by his own admission, but the Bears have their franchise quarterback. He was up and down throughout the season, but there was meaningful improvement and he delivered epic plays in decisive moments.
As evidence of the optimism around the Bears’ future, the lasting image from the loss to the Rams won’t be his interception in overtime that ultimately led to the loss. It’ll be the improbable, “ridiculous,” as Johnson put it, fourth-down heave to tight end Cole Kmet for the tying touchdown pass with 18 seconds left.
From the 14-yard line, Williams was in trouble on the snap as the Rams’ pressure came quickly. He scrambled with his back to the play all the way back to the 40, then turned and launched a dime off his back foot as he took a hit.
Soldier Field went nuts. For years that stadium had been dormant other than boos and “fire so and so” chants. Williams turned up the voltage, which was his dream when the Bears drafted him.
Once it became clear that he wouldn’t be able to force his way away from the Bears in the draft, he pivoted from being deterred by their decades of misery to being energized by the chance to flip it. It was an incredible ride this season.
“That’s part of the reason why I said I could do it here: to bring life, to bring joy, to bring excitement of being a Chicago Bears fan,” he said. “It’s really cool, honestly… being able to have the city behind you. You lose that game, and you’re walking out, and the fans stand up and cheer and roar in a tough moment. It goes a long way.”
Most of the credit for Williams’ progress goes to his relationship with Johnson, whom he said has had “unparalleled” impact on him. There’s still a lot to do as far as syncing their vision of the offense, and Williams said he is targeting throwing accuracy and footwork in his offseason training, but the strides were undeniable.
In addition to setting the franchise record with 3,942 passing yards, Williams threw more touchdown passes and took fewer sacks than he did as a rookie. He made epic throws, including some near-perfect ones to beat the Packers in the regular season and in the wild-card round. He grew up a little.
And the fact that there’s so much left to accomplish, both for him and the team, only fuels him.
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