The Chicago Bears’ offensive players were about to head into position meetings after listening to Thomas Brown for the first time as their new offensive coordinator. But before everyone left, one player wanted to speak.
It was the morning of November 13, the day after Shane Waldron was fired as offensive coordinator. The Bears had lost three games in a row, including a 19-3 defeat to the New England Patriots. During that stretch, the offense scored only 27 points, and Caleb Williams had a 13.3 QBR the previous week, the second worst in the league.
There had been growing frustration in the locker room as players felt they needed more leadership from the coaches. Williams decided it was time for him to take responsibility for the struggles that led to Waldron’s firing. The 22-year-old rookie stood in front of his teammates and apologized for his part in the team’s problems.
“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’ rookie season had many ups and downs. The Bears finally ended a franchise-record 10-game losing streak with a win over the Green Bay Packers in the final game. But it wasn’t just the losses that hurt, it was how they lost.
There was a controversial Hail Mary loss to the Washington Commanders, a blocked field goal in another loss to the Packers, and a mistake at the end of Matt Eberflus’ final game as head coach on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit. The next day, Brown became the interim head coach.
Despite all the challenges, Williams showed flashes of the talent that led to the Bears selecting him with the first pick in the draft. He set a rookie record with 353 pass attempts without an interception, became the first Bears rookie quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards (3,541), and set a rookie team record with 20 passing touchdowns.
However, he was also sacked 68 times, which tied the record for the third-most sacks since 1963, and finished the season with a 46.5 QBR, ranking 28th in the league. The next coach’s top priority will be to help Williams develop, especially since he is likely to start next season with his third offensive coordinator and a lot of questions about whether he will become the Bears’ long-term quarterback.
The 10-game losing streak was just one shy of the record for the longest winless streak by a quarterback selected first overall since the common draft began in 1967. Troy Aikman, who was an ESPN analyst during the Bears’ 30-12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on December 16, saw something in Williams that concerned him.
Vikings linebacker Jihad Ward had just hit Williams hard after he threw a pass that fell incomplete, and cameras showed Williams on the bench, grimacing in pain and looking like he might want 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 could tell something was off with his roommate, Caleb Williams. After the Bears lost 21-16 to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3, Jackson noticed that Williams wasn’t acting like his usual energetic 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 and Williams had been teammates at USC in 2022, when Williams won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore. Jackson transferred to Nevada the following season to get more playing time, but their friendship was rekindled before the draft when they became roommates in Los Angeles. Jackson was later invited to the Bears’ rookie mini-camp and signed to the practice squad.
During the season, Williams faced a tough challenge. He was sacked a league-high 68 times, and while many pointed to the offensive line as the problem, Williams took responsibility, saying there were things he needed to work on to fix the issue.
The two players live in a six-bedroom home near the Bears’ headquarters in Lake Forest, which has become a comfortable spot for them while they experience life in their early 20s.
They’ve had fun trips to downtown Chicago for fancy dinners and to Six Flags Great America for roller coasters. Williams even wore a balaclava at the amusement park to stay anonymous, smiling as he passed by kids wearing his jersey without recognizing him.
The house has Williams’ bedroom, several closets for his clothes, and a game room upstairs. Jackson stays on the first floor, which is spacious. They also have two dogs. Meals are often made by a private chef, but on days when dinner plans aren’t made, they take turns picking up food for each other.
Even though they enjoy hanging out with teammates, their nights are often spent unwinding separately, even if they’re playing the same video game (NBA 2K24 and Call of Duty are their most common games) on different 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?'”
After the loss to Indianapolis, the Bears went on to win against the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers. In those victories, Williams threw three touchdown passes without an interception, and his 126.2 QBR against the Panthers was the second-best in the league for Week 5.
Things were starting to look better for Williams and the Bears as they prepared for their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Jackson noticed a change in Williams’ mood, as he bought 16 pairs of cleats and even styled an outfit inspired by the British TV series “Peaky Blinders” for the trip.
The Bears won the game 35-16, with Williams throwing four touchdown passes. 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, trying to get his defensive backs to move closer as the Washington Commanders prepared for a Hail Mary attempt on October 27. But Bears coach Matt Eberflus was only concerned about stopping a deep throw, allowing a 13-yard pass to Terry McLaurin that moved the Commanders to their 48-yard line with six seconds left.
Eberflus’ decision led to more questions about accountability, as players like safety Kevin Byard III openly questioned the strategy. However, the focus shifted when cameras caught cornerback Tyrique Stevenson taunting the fans with his back to the field as Washington’s receivers ran toward the end zone for the final play.
Stevenson did recover in time to tip the ball, but it was caught by Noah Brown for a 52-yard touchdown.
What made the situation even more significant for Williams was who threw the pass. The Commanders had drafted rookie Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 pick, and the game had been built up as a matchup between two top contenders for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Daniels had a much better performance in the game, passing for 325 yards and 1 touchdown, while Williams only had 131 yards and no touchdowns. Despite this, Williams still had a chance to save face with a win.
Instead, the Bears lost 18-15, ending their three-game winning streak.
In the days after the loss, much of the conversation was about Stevenson, who was benched for the first two series the following week. Another controversial moment came when the Bears handed the ball off to backup center Doug Kramer Jr. on a third-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Kramer, who had never carried the ball before, lost the fumble.
Williams didn’t play his best game, but he did lead a 10-play, 62-yard drive to give the Bears a 15-12 lead with just 25 seconds left. 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,” said All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
That loss was the first of a 10-game losing streak.
WHAT’S NEXT for Williams may depend on who the Bears hire as their next coach. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is reportedly on the Bears’ radar, and Williams has played some of his best games against Detroit, throwing for 681 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions.
It’s still unclear whether the potential for Williams’ growth will be enough to attract Johnson or any other top coaching candidates to an organization that struggled to manage the quarterback’s rookie season. Bears general manager Ryan Poles said that Brown, the current offensive coordinator, will be interviewed for the head coach position.
But one high-ranking Bears source strongly disagreed with the idea that this season had been wasted for Williams.
“No way,” the source 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.”
Poles also mentioned that Williams won’t be directly involved in the hiring process, but his influence will still be important.
“A coach that challenges myself,” Williams said, when asked about the kind of coach he would want. “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.”
For Williams, the season was full of ups and downs.
Milestones:
- 353 passes without an interception – most for an NFL rookie
- 3,541 passing yards – 1st for a Bears rookie
- 20 passing touchdowns – 1st for a Bears rookie
- 68 sacks – tied for 3rd most in NFL history
- 46.5 QBR – 28th in NFL
- 5th overall in franchise history for passing yards
Williams will spend the offseason training with his private quarterback coach, Will Hewlett, and studying different route concepts, defenses, and protections to start next season stronger.
“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.”
Williams will certainly try to use the lessons from his rookie season to achieve those goals. A few days after having his USC jersey retired on November 30, Williams looked back at his first NFL season and put a positive spin on it.
“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.”
