Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams went through it all during his rookie season in 2024.
The Bears finished with a 5-12 record, which saw their franchise quarterback get sacked an NFL-high 68 times and had 10 fumbles with six interceptions on the year. Williams' development suffered as he had three different play callers on offense and saw his head coach, Matt Eberflus, get fired after the disastrous clock management in the Thanksgiving Day game.
Plenty of criticism was thrown the Bears' way for how they handled Williams in his first year. Apparently, the biggest critic of them comes from a man who knows all too well what a quarterback needs in the NFL to be successful.
NFL legend takes a stand for Williams as he rips into Bears
The Athletic's Zak Keefer examined the quarterbacks in the NFL who are either considered busts or have had rough starts to their careers. Keefer included NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning in his article as he shared his thoughts on how some teams start their quarterbacks right away, not in the greatest situations.
Manning discussed two examples of quarterbacks who have not been set up for success right away: Williams and Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. As part of the conversation, Manning wants teams to be more accountable for how they build a franchise around a young quarterback.
"Take the last two drafts, Manning says. Chicago’s Caleb Williams and Carolina’s Bryce Young, the No. 1 picks in 2024 and 2023, respectively, enter this season on their second head coach — third if you count interims — and third play caller. So far, all they know in the NFL is turnover.
'I just wish a team would admit, ‘OK, we need a quarterback this year, but we’re not 100 percent sure our coach is the right guy, so we’re not gonna bring him into this,' Manning continues. “Of course, they always draft the quarterback.
'Those teams were not ready,' he says of the Bears and Panthers. 'That’s just how I feel.'”
The good news is that the Bears are more than ready to give Williams the tools needed to succeed. Bears head coach Ben Johnson is the most essential piece to that puzzle, but the three new interior starting offensive linemen and the top two draft picks being offensive weapons are also helpful.
While there are people in the media who criticized Williams for his rookie year, there isn't enough accountability being given to the franchise. Most people didn't feel great about Eberflus in the first place, and former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron never coached an offense that was top 12 in total offense.
Read more: Predicting the Bears' first five games of massive 2025 season
Williams had the appropriate excuses for last year. The same can't be said for 2025. It's time to put up or shut up for the second-year quarterback.