It was a rather forgettable rookie season for Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears in 2024. A 5-12 record and a dysfunctional coaching staff had the Bears needing to undergo a major coaching reset at an unexpected time.
But hiring Ben Johnson could not have been a staler move, as this team has since done a total 180 and more than doubled its win total. An 11-6, NFC North-winning finish in 2025 suddenly has the Bears on the doorstep of Super Bowl contention.
And a ton of credit does have to go to general manager Ryan Poles. Despite some of his earlier moves being questionable, this Bears operation is ready to blossom. Now that Williams and Johnson are entering year two together, there is reason to believe that the now third-year quarterback could have the best season of his career at the perfect time, but just how good is Williams at the moment?
Chicago Bears' Caleb Williams ranked No. 2 among QBs on rookie contracts for 2026
In NFL.com, Nick Shook ranked Williams No. 2 among quarterbacks who are still on rookie deals for the 2026 campaign, notably being ranked ahead of Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, and CJ Stroud:
"Even those who held the highest expectations for Ben Johnson probably didn't foresee his partnership with Williams going as well as it did in Year 1. Johnson's arrival worked wonderfully for Caleb, who appeared to overcome his tendency to freeze while trying to make the perfect play. In his second NFL season, the former Heisman Trophy winner operated instinctively, showing off a fantastic clutch gene that powered a collection of heart-stopping, season-defining wins for Chicago. Under Johnson, Williams was able to display his natural talents and begin to justify his No. 1 overall selection. By season's end, he was one of my favorite quarterbacks to watch. I expect him to meet that description again in 2026, the last year before he is eligible for an extension that should make his paycheck exponentially bigger."
Williams did have a ton of improvements across the board in 2025. He threw for more yards, more touchdowns, had a higher success rate, averaged more yards per completion, averaged more yards per game, had a higher passer rating, higher QBR, and was sacked 44 fewer times.
The one thing that did stick out, though, was the decline in the completion percentage. Williams completed 62.5 percent of his passes in 2024, but that dipped to 58.1 percent in 2025, below the threshold a franchise quarterback needs. For 2026, this has to be the main focus.
We have seen Williams already emerge as an efficient passer - he's thrown just 13 interceptions in 34 games, which comes out to just six per a 17-game season. Getting that completion percentage above 60 percent would really have this offense humming, but for the time being, Williams is clearly being thought of highly.
You could probably argue that Nix, for example, should be ranked above Williams, as he'd led the Denver Broncos deeper into the playoffs and has a more complete body of work, but Williams might have the higher ceiling as a passer.
Either way, this 'rookie contract ranking' also paints an urgent picture for the Bears, as next offseason the entire 2024 NFL Draft class will be eligible for contract extensions, making this main-headline-worthy for the quarterbacks.
Williams could end up inking a mega-extension next offseason, which does start the clock for the front office, as the Bears would then have to deal with some insanely high cap hits on a hypothetical Williams extension. Taking advantage of a franchise quarterback still on his rookie deal is a must for any front office, not just Chicago's.
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The next couple of years could truly define much of what Williams and the Bears can accomplish together.
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