Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has caused quite a stir thanks to a new book by Seth Wickersham. It revealed that the player wanted to avoid the organization before the 2024 NFL Draft. His new head coach, Ben Johnson, is not worried about it.
During an appearance on “The Herd,” host Colin Cowherd asked Johnson about the “fears” Williams’ camp had about the Bears. Many of those issues were realized in Year 1.
However, Johnson says he has not gotten that sense from Williams in his time with the Bears.
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“Well, you talk about fears, and I don’t see it quite the same way. I see this as, ‘What a great opportunity we have to do something that, really, has never been done.’ There hasn’t been a 4000-yard passer here in this franchise, and I think Caleb is going to be the first one, and one of many years, many seasons to come, where he’s able to accomplish that feat. So I see a chance for greatness here for him,” Johnson told Cowherd on May 15.
“He’s been communicated that way, and he feels the same way. I don’t know what’s going on prior to him joining the organization. But he is very proud to be a Chicago Bear. That’s what our conversations have included. And he’s really excited to get to work right now, and be the best version of himself for 2025.”
Notably, the book notes that Williams came around following a visit and hearing about the plan for him and the team.
Johnson was not in the organization to worry about the way Williams felt before his arrival. He can only get the plan back on track after a rough rookie season for the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
To that end, Johnson is not setting pie-in-the-sky goals for Williams or the team.
Instead, he noted during his intro that they would work with Williams from the ground up, but also that the QB was a key reason for his decision to leave the Detroit Lions.
None of what Johnson had to say should come as a surprise to Bears fans. He has consistently expressed confidence in what he is bringing to the Bears. Johnson has also remained clear that the offense would be built around Williams. The coach’s influence on the Bears’ offseason transactions is also quite clear.
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During his introduction, Johnson cited the need to improve along the offensive line. The Bears traded for two guards with All-Pro, Pro Bowl, and/or Super Bowl pedigree and signed a center in free agency. They added another tight end and wide receiver in the draft.
The Bears also had plans to snag a top-flight running back prospect. They chose the flier route instead due to the circumstances during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Johnson is not claiming it will be smooth sailing ahead, just that they will navigate it.
“There’s no question we’re going to face adversity. … We want to seek growth from here to here over the course of the season, and it’s not going to be linear growth. It’s going to be a little bit of ups and downs and stair steps along the way. But we want to see, from Game 1 to Game 17 that we’re getting better as a whole, and that’s not just him. That’s us as a team as well,” Johnson told Cowherd.
“I’m excited. That’s what makes coaching fun, is when the hiccups occur, when the adversity strikes, how do we respond to it? That’s when you find out who you are as a man.”
Williams endured a rough rookie season and still closes his pressers with “Da Bears.”
However, the concerns he and his father, Carl, held before the draft proved accurate. It took a tumultuous season for Bears general manager Ryan Poles to enact the types of changes most deemed necessary one year prior.
What that truly says about the Bears, Johnson, Poles, or Williams is unclear. How quickly and effectively they can ditch the negative narrative will determine a lot.