The Chicago Bears decided to move on from Justin Fields before his rookie contract was even up. They chose to take Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Chicago would go 5-12 in their first season with Williams.
Now, their quarterback is being called out by fans after his latest off-season decision.
“Unserious Quarterback” Bears’ Caleb Williams Destroyed For Magazine Photo Shoot (Report)
Jan 5, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams (18) during the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Caleb Williams, the number-one pick in last year’s NFL draft, has almost blocked out the trauma of his rookie season. The Chicago Bears—the team for which he is the starting quarterback—finished at the very bottom of their division. After a promising 4–2 start, they lost ten games in a row. The head coach, Matt Eberflus, got fired in late November, the first time the Bears franchise had ever canned a coach mid-season. And Williams spent much of the year running for his life on the field: He was sacked a league-leading sixty-eight times.
For an athlete who’d carried the nickname “Superman” since high school, it was a cold dose of reality.
Nearly two months after the final snap, Williams still has trouble computing how much losing he had to endure. “I’ll be honest with you,” he tells me, “I’ve never lost this much. I lost ten games in one season. I think maybe eleven.”
He pauses and recalculates, a hint of incredulity in his voice. “It’s actually more than eleven.”
Dec 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams (18) throws a pass against the Minnesota Vikings during the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
I confirm that, yes, his team’s record was an ugly 5–12. Williams can be forgiven for experiencing a little dissociative amnesia. To make all that losing even worse, people had expected more from Williams and the Bears—a lot more. Unlike most top picks in the draft, who typically step into the worst team in the league, Williams joined a roster that seemed poised to win. The Bears had acquired their number-one pick in a canny trade; they were stacked with veterans, with a solid defense and weapons at wide receiver. HBO even documented their preseason in its show Hard Knocks. Fans were dreaming of a playoff berth. Instead, things fell apart.
Around his teammates, Williams tried to conceal his frustration. But his emotions spilled out in private after a couple of the late-season losses. “When I got home, I got in my bed. I just dropped a few tears,” Williams admits. “And I was just so beat-up mentally, physically, spiritually.”
Oct 13, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Stacey Dales, NFL Network reporter, and Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams (18) after an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images
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McQuade Arnold is a Co-Owner of Wisconsin Sports Heroics (WSH), Gridiron Heroics (GH), and Hardwood Heroics (HWH). He graduated from American Military University with an associate in General Studies and is currently pursuing his Bachelors in Sports Marketing. McQuade has been active duty in the United States Navy for 11 years and is currently stationed in Chicago, IL after spending time in Norfolk, VA and San Diego, CA. He is originally from Superior, WI and is a die hard Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin Badgers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Milwaukee Bucks fan. McQuade's work for WSH has been featured on YardBarker, Bleacher Report, NewsBreak, and MSN.
