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Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff Writer
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears‘ offensive players were about to split into position meetings, having just listened to Thomas Brown for the first time in his new role as offensive coordinator. But before the room emptied, one player wanted to speak.
It was the morning of Nov. 13, one day after Shane Waldron was fired as OC. The Bears’ losing streak had reached three after a 19-3 loss to the New England Patriots. The offense had scored 27 points during the skid, and Caleb Williams‘ 13.3 QBR was the second worst in the league the previous week.
Accountability had become a point of contention in the locker room with players looking for leadership from coaches, and Williams decided it was his turn to accept his share of the blame. The 22-year-old rookie stood in front of his teammates and apologized for his role in the struggles that led to Waldron’s firing.
“He realized pretty quickly the magnitude of his position, and what he means to a lot of people in this organization,” tight end Cole Kmet told ESPN. “And unfortunately, just how this business works, a lot of people’s jobs and livelihoods ride on his success.”
Williams’ education took some wild turns during his rookie season. The Bears finally snapped a franchise record-tying 10-game losing streak with a win over the Green Bay Packers in the finale. And it wasn’t just that they lost, but how they lost. There was a controversial Hail Mary against the Washington Commanders, a blocked field goal attempt in an earlier loss to the Packers, and a failure to call timeout as time ran out on Matt Eberflus’ last game as head coach on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit. Brown became the interim head coach the next day.
Through it all, Williams flashed the potential that led to the Bears drafting him No. 1 overall. He set the NFL rookie record with 353 passes without an interception, became the first Bears rookie QB to pass for more than 3,000 yards (3,541) and set a team rookie record with 20 passing touchdowns. But he also has been sacked 68 times, which tied the Houston Texans‘ David Carr in 2005 for the third-most since sacks were tracked in 1963, and he finished the season with a 46.5 QBR, which ranked 28th in the league. The No. 1 priority for the next coach will be to develop Williams, who will likely start next season with his third playcaller and plenty of questions about whether he’ll develop into the Bears’ elusive franchise quarterback.
The 10-game skid was one shy of Troy Aikman’s record-setting winless streak by a quarterback selected No. 1 in the common draft era — since 1967. Aikman was an ESPN analyst during the Bears’ 30-12 loss in Minnesota on Dec. 16, and he saw something in Williams he found worrisome.
Vikings linebacker Jihad Ward had just hit Williams hard after he released a pass that fell incomplete, and cameras picked up Williams writhing in pain on the bench, at one point looking like he wanted to lie down.
“He was grimacing in an enormous amount of pain, and as I watch him, you can tell he’s a defeated guy,” Aikman said during the broadcast. “I mentioned he hasn’t been through anything like this at any point in his career, and what you worry about is a rookie quarterback losing confidence.”
JOHN JACKSON KNEW there was something wrong with his roommate. After a 21-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3, Jackson noticed Williams wasn’t his energetic, upbeat self.
“He’s like, ‘I dunno, I’m just kind of in my head,'” Jackson said. “I was like, ‘Well, you got to make it a point to go be the old you, do what you used to do.'”
Jackson was Williams’ teammate at USC in 2022, when Williams won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore. Hoping for more playing time, Jackson transferred the following season to Nevada, but his friendship with Williams was rekindled before the draft when they became roommates in L.A., and it continued when the Bears invited Jackson to rookie mini-camp and later signed him to the practice squad.
The six-bedroom home Williams purchased near the team’s headquarters in Lake Forest is an upscale haven for the two while they experience life in their early 20s. There have been trips to downtown Chicago for fancy dinners and excursions to Six Flags Great America to ride roller coasters. Williams wore a balaclava at the amusement park to remain incognito, and he smiled as he passed kids wearing his jersey without recognizing him.
Their home setup features Williams’ bedroom, multiple closets for his clothing and a game room upstairs. Jackson resides on the first floor, which has a spacious layout, and their two dogs complete the living arrangement.
Meals are often prepared by a private chef, but on days when dinner plans aren’t decided, the two alternate picking up food for each other. Though they enjoy hanging out together and with other teammates, the time they spend unwinding at night often comes in their own space, even if they’re both playing the same video game (NBA 2K24 and Call of Duty are the most frequent choices) on separate floors.
“If ever something’s pissing him off, or something he did in the game that he thought was a look that he should have switched to that he messed up on and he didn’t do it, he’ll be like, ‘Dude, I should have called this on this play,'” Jackson said. “And then I recall it and talk to him about the game, because I’m paying attention.
“It’s cool having somebody who’s not — I guess opinionated is the right way to say it — and it allows him to ask, ‘What do you think I should have done on this?”‘
The Bears followed the loss at Indy with wins over the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers. Williams had three touchdown passes without an interception in those wins, and his 126.2 QBR against the Panthers was the second best in the league for Week 5.
Things were looking brighter as the Bears prepared to head to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Jackson saw the difference in Williams, who bought 16 pairs of cleats and styled an outfit straight out of the British television series “Peaky Blinders” for his trip overseas.
The Bears beat the Jaguars 35-16 as Williams fired four TD passes, and his 91.7 QBR was the best in the NFL for Week 6.
“It’s cool seeing him get back to himself and be comfortable, because obviously, he’s in a position where a lot is on his shoulders and a lot is expected — especially at the quarterback position,” Jackson said. “If you guys win, it’s all credit to you.
“And then if you lose, most of it falls on your shoulders.”
WILLIAMS WAS WAVING his arms, pleading with his defensive backs to move closer as the Washington Commanders tried to get into position for a Hail Mary attempt on Oct. 27.
But Eberflus worried only about a deep ball, content to give up the 13-yard pass to Terry McLaurin that moved the Commanders to their 48 with six seconds remaining.
Eberflus’ decision resurfaced the debate about accountability as players such as safety Kevin Byard III publicly questioned the strategy. But that choice was overshadowed when cameras picked up cornerback Tyrique Stevenson taunting the fans with his back to the action as Washington receivers were en route to the end zone for the final play.
Stevenson recovered in time to tip the ball, but it was caught by Noah Brown for a 52-yard touchdown.
What made it especially significant for Williams was who threw the pass. Washington drafted rookie Jayden Daniels No. 2, and the game was billed as a battle of the favorites for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Daniels had much better stats that game — 325 passing yards, 1 TD vs. Williams’ 131 yards, O TDs — but Williams could have salvaged some bragging rights with a win.
Instead, the 18-15 loss snapped the Bears’ three-game win streak.
Much of the talk in the ensuing days was about Stevenson, who was benched for the first two series the following week. The decision to hand the ball off to backup center Doug Kramer Jr. on a third-and-goal at the 1 also drew some attention. Kremer, who had never carried the ball before, lost a fumble.
Williams didn’t have his best game, but he did lead a 10-play, 62-yard drive to give the Bears a 15-12 lead with 25 seconds remaining. It was shaping up to be his first game-winning drive, until the Hail Mary.
“At the end of the day, the biggest thing is learning from it and then not letting it linger on,” All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson said.
It was the first of 10 straight losses.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR Williams could depend on the coaching hire. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is on the Bears’ radar, according to a team source, and Williams has played some of his best ball against Detroit, totaling 681 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Whether the promise of Williams’ potential will be enough to lure Johnson or any of the top candidates to an organization that botched the quarterback’s rookie season remains to be seen. Poles said Sunday that Brown will get an interview,
“It’s been the theme of the year: keep fighting… This is a good way for us to start the 2025 season.”
Caleb Williams is with @LauraOkmin after finishing his rookie season with a big win in Green Bay 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Nwku6VJqZI
— NFL on FOX Podcast (@NFLonFOXPod) January 5, 2025
But one high-ranking Bears source strongly disputed the idea this has been a wasted season for Williams.
“No way,” he said. “I wouldn’t even use that word. I mean, go back and look at Troy Aikman. I think he was 0-11 in his first 11 starts. Look at Peyton Manning’s rookie year [3-13, 26 TDs, 28 interceptions].
“Caleb’s done an excellent job. Not only as a player, but from a maturity level.”
General manager Ryan Poles said Williams won’t be directly involved in the hiring process, but his influence will be clear.
“A coach that challenges myself,” Williams said, when asked what qualities are important to him. “Whether it’s a [current] offensive coordinator or head coach, and also challenges us as players — whether it’s on the field or [about our] character. A man of his word. A disciplined coach.”
Williams will spend his offseason training with his private quarterbacks coach, Will Hewlett, and studying various route concepts, defenses, fronts and protections in an effort to have a faster start in Year 2.
“This is going to be a big offseason for me, and I’m excited about it,” Williams said. “I have things that — maturity-wise — I’m excited about learning.
“Things are going to take time, and I’m well aware of that and OK with that. But I’m definitely going to try and push myself to exhaustion mentally and physically to be able to withstand a long season, because this has been my longest season that I’ve ever played.”
Undoubtedly, Williams will try to use the experiences of his rookie season to reach those goals. A few days after returning from having his jersey retired by USC on Nov. 30, Williams put the travails of his first NFL season in as positive spin as he could manage.
“To be able to have all of this in my first year, I wouldn’t say I’m happy for it,” he said, “but having these moments is definitely something that will help me in the future.”
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