Caleb Williams had a rough introduction to life in the NFL last season. The 2024 first overall pick endured a roller coaster season with the Chicago Bears, where the team’s dysfunction outweighed any bright moments he had.
One ESPN analyst thinks Williams will take the next step in his second season and accomplish something no one ever has for the Bears.
Caleb Williams To Make History With Bears in 2025? Damien Woody Says Yes
Williams entered the NFL after a stellar three-year college career, which included a Heisman Trophy in 2022. The Bears wasted no time making him the first overall pick and gave him some help by selecting Rome Odunze with the ninth pick. Chicago also added Keenan Allen in free agency, so Williams was set up with arguably the best arsenal of weapons in team history.
The Bears entered their bye week at 4-2 and proceeded to lose the next 10 games. The word was out on how to beat Williams as he finished his rookie season 33rd in PFSN’s QB+ metric after posting 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Chicago’s offense didn’t live up to the hype, finishing 30th in the Offense+ metric. Williams threw for over 300 yards four times and was sacked a league-leading 68 times, many of which he was responsible for.
Williams is still seen as the Bears’ quarterback of the future. The team hasn’t had a franchise quarterback since Jay Cutler, and Jim McMahon is the only one to have led Chicago to a Super Bowl victory. However, the wildest and possibly most depressing Bears’ statistic is that the team has never had a 4,000-yard passer in over 100 seasons.
Two-time Super Bowl champion Damien Woody was asked about this stat on a recent episode of “Get Up”.
ESPN posted a clip of Mike Greenberg asking Woody, “Will Caleb Williams break the streak and become the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history?” Woody responded, “Yes. This is long overdue for the Chicago Bears. It’s hard to believe that they haven’t had a 4,000-yard passer.
“With all the improvements around Caleb Williams, the offensive line, the weapons, most importantly, the play caller. If he can play within structure, he should absolutely be able to pass for over 4,000 yards.”
Williams went through an offensive coordinator and then a head coaching change during his rookie season, and the Bears showed their dysfunction. Shane Waldron was fired after a Chicago fell to 4-5, and Matt Eberflus was let go after a disastrous Thanksgiving Day performance against the Detroit Lions.
Williams didn’t play up to the hype, but Chicago didn’t help its rookie quarterback.
Williams Already Ranks High on Bears’ Passing List, but Who Holds Single-Season Record?
Williams’ rookie total of 3,541 passing yards landed him fifth on the team’s list of single-season passing marks. Cutler holds the next three-highest totals, with his highest being 3,812 in 15 games during the 2014 season. Cutler would likely have surpassed 4,000 yards, but was benched for a game during another lost season in Chicago.
The team’s all-time single-season passing leader is Erik Kramer. He threw for 3,838 yards in the 1995 season. Chicago finished 9-7 but missed the playoffs by one game. Kramer’s 29 touchdowns that season are also a team single-season record.
The bar is not very high for Williams to become the Bears’ greatest quarterback. He has better weapons heading into 2025, and the team has heavily invested in the offensive line. Everything is set for Williams to finally be Chicago’s first 4,000-yard passer, and much more beyond that.