He actually did it. For decades, being the quarterback of the Chicago Bears was basically a cursed profession, a one-way ticket to "what-if" articles and disappointing Sunday afternoons. But look at the numbers. Caleb Williams didn’t just survive his first two years in the Windy City; he rewrote the entire record book while everyone was busy arguing about his fingernails or his "aura."
Honestly, the jump from 2024 to 2025 was the most jarring thing I’ve seen in recent NFL history. As a rookie, Williams threw for 3,541 yards—a franchise rookie record—but he also took a league-high 68 sacks. That’s a lot of turf to eat. People were already whispersing the "B" word (bust) because he looked indecisive. Then 2025 happened. Under new head coach Ben Johnson, Williams didn't just improve; he became "The Iceman."
He finished the 2025 regular season with 3,942 passing yards, officially dethroning Erik Kramer’s 1995 mark for the most in a single season by any Bears quarterback. Ever.
🔗 Read more: USC UCLA Women's Basketball Box Score: What Really Happened at Pauley Pavilion
The Ben Johnson Effect and the "Clutch" Gene
A lot of people think coaching is just about "scheming guys open," but with Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears, it was about trust. When the Bears moved on from Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron, the vibe changed instantly. Ben Johnson—the guy everyone thought was destined to be the next Sean McVay—actually treated Williams like a veteran.
The most ridiculous stat from the 2025 season? The Bears were 3-3 when trailing by 10 or more points in the final five minutes. The rest of the league? They were a combined 3-151.
That’s not just luck. That’s Caleb.
During the Wild Card round against the Green Bay Packers, the Bears were down 21-6. In any other era of Chicago football, fans would have been heading for the exits to beat the traffic at Soldier Field. Instead, Williams led his seventh fourth-quarter comeback of the year. He ended that game with 361 passing yards and two scores, proving that the big-stage jitters he occasionally showed at USC are officially gone.
How the game changed for Caleb
If you look at the "Rorschach Test" of his stats, the evolution is wild:
- Sack Avoidance: In 2024, he took 56 sacks inside the pocket. In 2025? That number plummeted to 13.
- Breaking the Script: He’s taking fewer sacks not because he's a robot, but because he's abandoning the play-call faster. His "scramble drill" plays jumped from 47 to 66 in one year.
- The TD-INT Ratio: He went from a respectable 20-6 as a rookie to a dominant 27-7 in his second year.
Why the 4,000-Yard Ceiling Matters
It’s almost a joke at this point that the Chicago Bears are the only NFL franchise without a 4,000-yard passer. Williams missed it by just 58 yards in 2025. He probably would have had it if the Week 18 game hadn't started so sluggishly.
But does it actually matter?
Ask any Bears fan. They don't care about the round number as much as the 11-6 record and the NFC North title. Williams is currently mirroring the trajectory of Josh Allen. Remember Allen's second year? He had a similar completion percentage (around 58%) and the same knack for making defenders look silly with his legs. Now, Daniel Jeremiah and other top scouts are openly talking about Williams as a 2026 MVP candidate.
He’s got the weapons now, too. Rookie tight end Colston Loveland turned out to be a massive safety blanket, leading the team with 58 catches in 2025. Then you have Luther Burden III, who, despite some early injuries, showed enough explosiveness to make DJ Moore’s life a lot easier.
What Most People Get Wrong About His "Struggles"
The critics love to point at his completion percentage. It dipped to 58.1% in 2025. "He’s inaccurate!" they yell.
That's a lazy take.
Williams is playing a high-risk, high-reward style that Ben Johnson actually encourages. Instead of taking a "safe" checkdown that pads his stats but gains three yards, Williams is hunting for the explosive play. He’s extending the down. He's looking for that 65-yard bomb to Burden (like the one we saw in Week 3 against the Vikings).
When you have an arm that can "put it on a thread" (Cole Kmet’s words, not mine), you don't play like a game manager. You play like a game-breaker.
Real Talk: The 2026 Outlook
Looking ahead, the Bears are no longer the "lovable losers." They are hosting playoff games. They are a destination.
Expert consensus from places like PFF suggests Williams could be the overall QB1 in fantasy football by 2026. Why? Because he finally added the rushing element back into his game. He didn't have a single rushing TD as a rookie; he had three in 2025. He’s learning when to slide and when to go for the throat.
The "Bears Quarterback Curse" is a fun ghost story for podcasts, but Caleb Williams is the exorcist.
Next Steps for the 2026 Offseason
To see if the Bears can actually reach the Super Bowl with this core, keep an eye on these three specific areas this spring:
- The Left Tackle Situation: The rotating door of Ozzy Trapilo and Braxton Jones needs to stop. Williams was only sacked 24 times in 2025, but a locked-down blindside is the final piece of the puzzle.
- The "Nuclear" Third Year: History shows that elite QBs (Allen, Mahomes, Burrow) make their biggest leap in Year 3. If Williams hits that 4,000-yard mark early in 2026, the MVP race is over.
- Ben Johnson’s Retention: Success brings vultures. If Johnson gets lured away for another job, Williams will be on his fourth play-caller in three years. Stability is the only thing that can stop him now.