In the NFL, the average player's career is just over three years. Half of all players that enter the league are gone by their third season, and only around 33% make it past their rookie contract.
In a league where the average career is over in the blink of an eye, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams entered the NFL with the weight of a franchise on his shoulders. Only a handful of players have entered the league with a Heisman Trophy in their bag, and even fewer go on to become an NFL mainstay.
Williams didn't just enter the league; he walked into the arena occupied by veterans like Aaron Rodgers and Matt Stafford, two pillars of resiliency in an ever-changing NFL. Williams stands upon the threshold of what could potentially become a long career in football.
After a tragic first season that saw a mid-season coaching change in Chicago, Williams has nowhere to go but up. While Bears fans watch as Caleb adapts to survive, we look ahead to Week 9 as the Bears host Joe Flacco and the Bengals at Soldier Field.
A Lifetime Under Center
After 17 seasons in the league, Flacco has been around his fair share of NFL locker rooms. Flacco has proven himself a stable veteran presence for multiple different franchises, yet another proof that adaptability and resiliency can prove more fundamental than raw talent. From first-round draft pick to Super Bowl MVP to Comeback Player of the Year in 2023, Flacco has proven he can create results in many different offensive systems.
Flacco's career could serve as an example not only for Williams but for many young quarterbacks entering the NFL. Both quarterbacks possess an impressive arm, and both have the confidence required in the modern NFL.
Where Flacco refined his craft and furthered his development arc, Williams is still learning to turn improvisation into consistency. If Williams can master the discipline that's defined Flacco's career, he has the talent and ability to forge a long path in front of him.
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Flacco was once a rookie trying to carve his own place in the NFL. Now, Williams treads a similar path under brighter lights and heavier criticism. Some stories never change in the NFL, regardless of the era: adapt or die.