The Chicago Bears have been around for over a century. Yet they have never had a 4,000 yard passer. Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams is trying to change this.
Former Bears quarterback Erik Kramer was the closest to 4,000 yards, passing for 3,838 yards in 1995, per Pro Football Reference. Jay Cutler passed for over 3,500 yards three times but never surpassed the 4,000-yard mark.
The Bears are the only team in the NFL without a 4,000-yard passer in a single season. This is yet another example of the Bears' history of shoddy quarterbacking. Throughout their history, the Bears have put together some great teams. Their biggest problem has been finding a great quarterback to lead those teams to a Super Bowl victory. Imagine if Mike Dikta or Lovie Smith had a quarterback like Williams. The Bears' history would look a lot different.
Finding an elite quarterback has been the Bears' white whale for some time. So far, Williams looks like the answer.
Williams has looked like a young Pat Mahomes in his first two preseason games. While the preseason doesn't mean much, it's still evident Williams has the talent to pass for over 4,000 yards. The weapons around him are sure to make it a lot easier.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles built the perfect offense for a rookie quarterback to succeed. Williams has been making use of his reliable targets and passing the ball around. Receivers like D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen are arguably the best wide out trio in the entire league. With Cole Kmet at tight end and receiving back DeAndre Swift, Williams has plenty of options to throw the ball to.
New offensive coordinator Shane Waldron deserves credit as well for Williams promising start. This shouldn't be too much of a surprise when you consider Getsy helped Geno Smith win Comeback Player of the Year with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022.
Besides becoming the first Bears quarterback to pass for over 4,000 yards, there's a plethora of other Bears passing records Williams could break in his rookie year. They will be covered when Williams gets closer to beating them.
Editor's note: Correction added due to previous typo, listing Luke Getsy as the new offensive coordinator for the Bears.