Caleb Williams Record
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Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams broke the franchise single-season passing record with 3,942 yards in 2025.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is coming off a record-setting season. In his second year as the lead signal caller, he broke the Bears’single-season passing yards recordwhile leading them to an NFC North Division title. In the playoffs, he made several jaw-dropping throws that placed him on the path to be one of the faces of the entire league. Yet, despite Chicago’s remarkable year and Williams’ self-improvement, he still has plenty of room to grow, and head coach Ben Johnson knows this. Johnson recently shared his goals for Williams next season in an interview withBearsWire.
Johnson shared that part of what Williams needs to work on is improving his completion percentage.
“If we want to be elite, we want to be that 70 percent marker,” Johnson stated.
Caleb Williams Had One Of The Worst Completion Rates in 2025
Caleb Williams Comeback
GettyThe Chicago Bears led the NFL last season with seven fourth-quarter comebacks.
For reference, Williams completed just58.1% of his throws in 2025, significantly worse than his62.5% rate in his rookie season. Williams had the34th-bestcompletion percentage out of all active quarterbacks last season, which was the worst among QBs that started more than 10 games.
Ben Johnson broke down how Williams could improve this part of his game next season. “I think when you look at it, for us to get to 65 percent completion even, cut that in half, we need to find 40 more completions over the course of the season. Well, let me tell you something. When you watch the self-scout, there’s 80, 90, 100 completions we left out on the table. And I’m not just talking about passes dropped.”
While Johnson dismisses dropped passes in his statement, he isn’t disregarding them at all. Johnson knows that Caleb Williams lost more yards than any other quarterback due to dropped passes last season. He recentlycalled out his coaching staffto work on that very issue.
Even if Chicago decreases its percentage of dropped passes, a 70% season completion rate is still a lofty goal, as it would break the Bears’ franchise record by a quarterback. Brian Hoyer set the record in 2016 with a67.0 completion percentage rate. Mitchell Trubisky then tied it in 2020. However, both of those quarterbacks played fewer than 11 games in their respective seasons. For Williams to average 70% across an entire season would be a feat that no Bears quarterback has really even come close to accomplishing. Yet, it’s not Johnson’s first time helping someone achieve it.
Ben Johnson helped Jared Goff surpass a 70% completion rate during the Detroit Lions‘ 2024 season. Goff’s72.4% clipwas the highest among all quarterbacks who played 17 games.
Johnson’s expectations for Williams in year two of his system are high, but they’re no higher than what the QB expects for himself.
Caleb Williams Wants The Bears To Feature The League’s Top-Ranked Offense
During an appearance on Maxx Crosby’sThe Rush podcast earlier in the offseason, Williams made headlines after stating his ultimate goal for next season. Williams proclaimed that he wants the Bears’ offense to average39 points per game in 2026. He actively cited the Denver Broncos‘ 2013 offensive season as the one he wants to beat.
Denver Broncos 2013
GettyThe Denver Broncos’ 2013 offensive season set multiple records, including the most points scored (606) and most passing yards recorded (5,572) while averaging 37.9 points per game.
To do that, Williams acknowledged his need to improve his completion percentage and give his guys more opportunities with the football. He also expressed interest in commanding more at the line of scrimmage in terms of handling checks and protections.
Williams initially made this statement before center Drew Dalmanshockingly retired. Even with the Bearstrading for veteran center Garrett Bradbury to replace Dalman, Williams will have to take more command over the offense. 2026 will look to prove many things for Chicago, including whether they are a true contender for the future. If Williams can achieve the goals that he and Johnson have set, then Bears fans are in for an even more exhilarating campaign next year.