For many of the younger Bears fans, they may not know who Erik Kramer is, and that's perfectly acceptable.
Kramer was a quarterback of the Bears from 1994 to 1998. Having previously played for the Lions, Kramer produced two full-time starting seasons for the Bears and even set a franchise record for Chicago in 1995, a record that stands to this day.
The Here and Now
Today, as we stand on the brink of 2025, quarterback Caleb Williams is positioned to challenge the Bears' franchise passing record. In doing so, Williams could topple two separate milestones at once, as Chicago remains the final NFL franchise without a 4,000-yard passer.
Kramer was a guest on the CHGO Podcast, where he made several comments surrounding Caleb Williams and the greater NFL.
"“If you took a piece of clay and tried to mold the ultimate quarterback, I’d take Caleb Williams’ piece of clay over everybody’s.”"Erik Kramer
Kramer was very high on Williams, drawing a precise observation of Williams' exceptional athleticism. His comments on molding the perfect quarterback were particularly well placed before leading into some well-earned criticism.
"“He’s accurate except for when it’s obvious he should be! When the game is on the line, that’s when you need to just play catch, and for whatever reason, it’s not happening yet.”"Erik Kramer
It's no secret around the league that Caleb has been dealing with an accuracy issue all season long. Kurt Warner has been particularly critical of this issue, frequently citing Williams' need to be more efficient, It's genuinely impressive how well he's been able to lead this team given his accuracy numbers. If this is how Williams performs when he's off his game, the future is only brighter.
For now, Kramer has a fair point. Year two with Williams has brought significant growth, and accolades will come. But for the Bears and their future, winning franchise records and joining a league-wide club is secondary to the development of their quarterback. Williams has shown why the Bears drafted him, and fans are hoping these two records are yet another milestone in the Bears' success in 2025.
Accuracy issues are situational, not structural, and Ben Johnson's excellent play designs help with this. Veteran quarterbacks learn this skill by doing, and Kramer is speaking from experience.
Read more: Caleb Williams did what Bears quarterbacks have rarely ever done
Though Kramer's record is likely to be broken, the veteran quarterback seemed excited and hopeful more than anything. Williams is the next phase of Bears history, and it's excellent that the franchise quarterbacks of yesterday can share in that excitement.