Caleb Williams is expected to have an impressive sophomore season in 2025, following the changes the Chicago Bears made during the offseason. The franchise QB got a warm reception from a local high school earlier this week.
Caleb Williams Spending Time in Local Communities
Williams has been in the news in recent days, due to a draft report released by Seth Wickersham. The report detailed that the quarterback and his father had considered trying to force their way away from the Bears with the number one pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
The USC QB had built a great relationship with Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and wanted to play there.
The family ultimately decided it wasn’t worth causing enough of a disturbance to upset the entire city, so Williams committed to Chicago. His rookie season was rocky, and there were very few signs of development as the season went on. That made sense when the news broke that Williams hadn’t been given any guidance at all on watching film or sharing that experience with any of his coaches.
Former head coach Matt Eberflus and his offensive coordinator at the time, Shane Waldron, came under fire for leaving Williams to figure it out for himself.
Now, under the guidance of newly appointed head coach Ben Johnson, who is fully committed to both Williams and the Chicago Bears franchise, results are expected to turn around quickly.
In the aftermath of Wickersham’s report, Williams visited Whitney Young High School in the local area to do a Q&A with the students. He spent some time at the facility, and when he left, he was met with MVP chants in the street.
#Bears QB Caleb Williams got MVP chants while leaving Whitney Young HS a few minutes ago 👀🔥
Ignore the noise 🤝
(via pg_prodz/IG) pic.twitter.com/A3MfKvon6x
— SLOCHE (@sloche_o)
Williams threw for 3,541 passing yards and 20 touchdowns as a rookie, despite a seeming lack of support from his offensive coordinator.
His new head coach believes he will be the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history, both this season and for years to come.
Chicago Has Retooled for 2025 NFL Season
Williams had a good roster around him in 2024, but perhaps the coaching was lacking. In 2025, the roster is even better, and he’s now got the most sought-after offensive mastermind as his head coach.
Johnson and his new staff quickly got to work on retooling offensively, while GM Ryan Poles pulled the strings on several moves.
The Bears traded for four-time Super Bowl champion offensive lineman Joe Thuney, as well as Jonah Jackson, formerly of the Detroit Lions and the LA Rams. They then paid center Drew Dalman a three-year, $42 million contract, adding three veterans to the offensive line.
Keenan Allen didn’t return, but Chicago added playmaker Luther Burden III in the second round of the 2025 draft. He is expected to occupy the slot receiver role, joining DJ Moore and Rome Odunze within the offense.
Williams is hoping to make history this year, to become the first ever Chicago Bears quarterback to throw for 4,000 passing yards in a single season.
