The Chicago Bears have their quarterback of the present and future in Caleb Williams. Indeed, Williams’ 3,541 passing yards in 2024, as a rookie, was the fifth most in franchise history. The only two quarterbacks with more passing yards in a single season in Bears franchise history were Jay Cutler and Erik Kramer.
Despite better quarterback play than they had in years, Chicago still finished the season 5-12. And while Williams was far from the cause for their struggles, he still had moments where one could tell that he was very much a rookie.
As the Bears hope for an improved season in 2025 and, ideally, a return to competitive football, they hoped to pair Williams with a veteran quarterback who has experienced just about everything there is to experience in the NFL.
And on Thursday, that is exactly what they did.
The Chicago Bears Signed Former Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Case Keenum
Chicago Bears, Case Keenum, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans
Aug 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Case Keenum (18) passes against the Los Angeles Rams in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
On Thursday afternoon, it was reported by several NFL insiders that the Bears had signed long-time veteran quarterback Case Keenum:
Veteran QB Case Keenum is signing a one-year deal worth up to $3 million with the Chicago Bears, per source. Keenum now will help mentor Caleb Williams in Chicago like he did for CJ Stroud in Houston. pic.twitter.com/4wDG8s3RRT
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 3, 2025
Keenum, who has played for seven different NFL teams, has been a backup quarterback in recent seasons, but was a journeyman starter in the league for a while.
In 2017, specifically, he led the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship Game, which they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. That year, he finished second in the NFL Comeback Player of the Year voting after completing 67.6% of his passes for 3,547 yards, 22 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a 98.3 passer rating.
Keenum, who spent the last two seasons with the Houston Texans (the team that originally drafted him), spent all of last year on injured reserve.
In signing the veteran, Williams now has a backup that knows the NFL better than many others and has seen just about every situation there is, whether it be as a starter or from the bench. His voice could be invaluable to Williams’ continued development as Chicago’s franchise quarterback.
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