Caleb Williams Threw 27 TDs Last Year and Still Says It Wasn't Enough
Caleb Williams had one of the best rookie seasons any Chicago Bears quarterback could ask for. Eleven wins. A playoff victory for the first time in 15 years. Then the Rams knocked them out 20-17 in overtime, and suddenly Williams couldn't stop thinking about unfinished business.
After coach Ben Johnson told him to step away from football after the season ended, Williams tried. He spent three months seeing friends, hosting workouts at USC with Bears teammates, and catching Coachella. But the sting of that playoff loss never really left his mind.
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When Williams showed up to Halas Hall on April 20 for the start of the offseason program, he was ready to move on from last year. And he made it clear what "moving on" means: better. Much better.
"It was good for me to be able to see, to be able to feel, to be able to go out there and win games," Williams said Monday. "But that wasn't my goal. That's not my goal. That's not where I want to be. I want to be the best. I want to go win. I want to be, as we call it, a world champion. A Super Bowl champion. I want to be the best Bear quarterback, the best quarterback."
In his first season paired with Johnson, the 24-year-old threw for 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions while the Bears won the NFC North. Those numbers look elite. For Williams, they're just the foundation.
Already Itching to Get Started Again
Williams admitted he's been eager to get back since that Rams game and tried not to text Johnson too much during the break. The quarterback knows the real goal is still in front of him, not behind him.
"That was a good steppingstone for me," Williams said. "But that wasn't the last steppingstone. Being able to grow off of last year and be able to progress in ways that I want to? That last year really wasn't anything. It was a good year. We've got many more good years coming up."
Now that the offseason program is underway, Johnson and Williams are back aligned on the mission. This year, the message is simple: it gets harder from here. The Bears have one goal, and Williams is ready to chase it.
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