Caleb Williams
Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Last year, ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams was viewed as a near-generational talent. Unlike this year, Williams was viewed as the consensus choice to be the No. 1 overall pick, giving the Chicago Bears a no-brainer decision at the top of the draft.
Interestingly enough, the Bears already had a recently drafted first-round quarterback, yet they took no issue with trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, paving the way for Williams’ takeover. Some rookie quarterbacks hit the ground running, like we saw from Jayden Daniels.
Other times, young quarterbacks making the leap from college to the NFL require a bit more time to get comfortable at the pro level. Yet, first-year head coach Ben Johnson says there was one aspect he doesn’t want to see from his young quarterback in 2025.
“Early in the process we sat down and watched some tape from a year ago and we talked it through. It’s like, ‘Do we really want to? Is this what we want to look like or not?’ We come to an agreement, ‘No, it’s not, OK, we learn from it, we move on to the next thing.’ Body language is a huge thing. Demeanor. We don’t want to be a palms-up team where we’re questioning everything. No, no, no — to me that’s a little bit of a sign of weakness. We don’t want to exhibit that from anybody on the team.”
Ben Johnson on Caleb Williams
To be fair, Williams was just 22 years old when his rookie season kicked off. Now 23 and set to turn 24 in November, he’s been able to mature a bit more, plus he’s already spent a season as the team’s essential captain.
A year of growth should do Williams well, and by the sound of it, he already has a new voice in his ear, trying to maximize the former No. 1 overall pick’s potential. In other words, expect a different version of Williams in 2025.
Related: 2025 NFL QB Rankings: Where does Caleb Williams land?