June 14, 2026, 12:37 p.m. CT

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will see expectations rise coming off his breakthrough season last year, and some analysts are putting him in rare company.

After a disastrous rookie season with former coach Matt Eberflus, Williams was paired with Ben Johnson prior to the 2025 season and it was about as good as it could get for the head coach and quarterback connection in Chicago. In his second season in the league, Williams had a massive turnaround, setting the franchise record for most single-season passing yards (3,942 yards), as well as 27 touchdowns to just seven interceptions, limiting both his turnovers and sacks taken with his new head coach.

After leading the Bears to an 11-win season that included a NFC North title with two playoff games, Williams made his mark among all in the NFL, including analysts who now see the young Bears quarterback among the top tier quarterbacks across the league. Recently, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN revealed that Williams is seen as a Top 10 quarterback among league circles.

Caleb Williams is looked at around the league as a Top 10 QB and one of the very best closers in the NFL….the key they’re working on in minicamp, OTAs and Training Camp is getting him to work inside the pocket to take the layups when they’re there, the checkdowns, the easy completions….but with Caleb Williams right now…..he’s the type of player that can make plays only Patrick Mahomes could make before him. He’s got that ceiling right now. So big things for the Bears in year three.

Putting the league on notice is just one way that Williams has shown growth and development in his game, but both Williams and his head coach would more than likely say they don’t care about outside noise, as long as they’re winning for Chicago. No matter how many stellar plays he has at quarterback for the Bears, it’ll be even easier to put Williams among the best of the best quarterbacks in the NFL if he leads the franchise to Super Bowl championships.

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