Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams changed the minds of a lot of people after his second season in the NFL.
The Bears’ signal caller broke the franchise single-season record with his 3,942 passing yards, and led his team to seven fourth-quarter comebacks, with his latest one being against the Green Bay Packers in a 31-27 win in the NFC Wild Card game at Soldier Field.
Williams grew under first-year coach Ben Johnson, and the quarterback’s second NFL season highlights just how much he developed under his new coach. At the end of Williams’ rookie year, the Bears’ quarterback finished with 68 total sacks, which led the league. Chicago won just five games and suffered a 10-game losing streak.
With the addition of Johnson, a new coaching staff, upgrades on the offensive line, and notable additions on defense (in Nahshon Wright, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and DeMarco Jackson), the Bears won 11 games and clinched the NFC North. And Williams played a big part in how the Bears performed throughout the 2025 season.
Caleb Williams' Year 2 making some experts change their minds about him
Former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck joined Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth on their podcast “Fitz & Whit,” and shared his opinions on Williams and Johnson.
“Caleb Williams, who I was kind of a hater on in year one, I was like, this dude doesn’t get it,” Hasselbeck said. “He doesn’t have the stuff that matters. Year two, I think he does. Ben Johnson and him, they’re on a great trajectory for his career and for that team. So, I think Ben Johnson is incredible. I think he is a great quarterback developer, coach, play caller, all of that stuff.”
Hasselbeck wasn’t the only analyst who had doubts about Williams after his rookie season, but Williams’ play in Year 2 rightfully changed the minds of many people. Now, the Bears’ quarterback still has plenty of areas to improve, most notably his accuracy and completion percentage, but another year in Johnson’s system should elevate both of those areas.
Given the Bears’ success in 2025, Chicago will definitely be a team that will get national recognition with primetime games, and that should be no surprise.
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The Bears will have to match the hype they receive, and if that happens, more people will do a 180 on their takes about Williams and the Bears.