Caleb Williams’ star is rising at least as fast as his stock, and some rivals are using the timing as an opportunity to shade (however slight) the Chicago Bears’ third-year quarterback.
Williams and the Bears reached the playoffs last season, where his legend only grew, and he has followed that up by earning the vaunted cover shot of “Madden NFL 27.” He has also garnered attention from the league and, it would appear, rival clubs.
A recent attempt to capitalize on Williams’ stardom may not have gone as planned.
Caleb Williams Jab Backfires on Bears Rival
Caleb Williams, Bears Get Reminder About Loss
During Williams’ rookie season, the Bears faced the Houston Texans in a contest Chicago lost 19-13. Williams did not play particularly well against a strong pass rush for the Texans, completing 62.2% of his passes for 174 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
He would have had a third pick were it not for a defensive holding call.
On Wednesday, the Texans’ social media team decided it was a good time to rehash one of the INTs that counted, a third-quarter snag by cornerback Kamari Lassiter. Lassiter also had the pick that was called back.
“Anybody remember this [smirking face emoji],” the Texans captioned the post on X on June 17, which included a video of the play in question, with the camera beginning and staying on Williams through the throw, but focusing largely on Lassiter and his ensuing return.
Notably, Williams threw 6 interceptions in 2024. He has thrown 13 INTs over his two NFL seasons. Stroud, meanwhile, threw 12 picks in 2024 and another 8 interceptions in 2025. Both players threw 5 picks and had more INTs than TDs in the 2025 postseason, though Williams had 4 scoring throws compared to 2 for Stroud, who has been better in terms of fumbles.
Several fans took the Texans to task in the comments.
Some noted how Houston’s C.J. Stroud has been on a downward trajectory since that meeting, while others said that they are seizing on Williams’ stardom. Packers fans joined in to criticize their division rival, who was making his second start.
Caleb Williams Got Critical Boost Amid Major Improvement
That was infamously the contest after which Stroud advised Williams to protect himself better moving forward. Williams, who led the NFL in sacks taken last season, took 7 sacks in the contest. He and Stroud downplayed the interaction.
Williams was also markedly better in that regard during his second season in 2025.
He went from having the third-highest sack rate (bad) among qualifying QBs in the NFL as a rookie to the fourth-lowest (good) in the league in 2025, per Pro Football Reference.
Stroud, meanwhile, struggled with inconsistency, including from those around him, in his first season with a new offensive coordinator in 2025 before a turnover-filled postseason run left his future in Houston in question.
Unlike Williams this past season, Stroud did not have a strong running game to lean on. The Texans are turning to former Bears running back David Montgomery to remedy that.
For Williams and the Bears, the goal is building off of 2025’s success and going even further.
The Texans are viewed as a Super Bowl contender. That is, as long as Stroud does not undo all of the good his defense will do. Williams and the Bears won despite a porous defense last season, but one that did produce timely takeaways.
Both teams need their quarterbacks to be better. However, the public perception heading into 2026 is far different from what it was after that head-to-head matchup.
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