Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams is a quarterback for the Chicago Bears. He won the 2022 Heisman Trophy at USC and was the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. In 2025, his second season and his first under head coach Ben Johnson, he set the Bears’ single-season passing record with 3,942 yards. That season the Bears also won the NFC North and their first playoff game since the 2010 season. Chicago has spent most of its history without a franchise passer, and that is why his career matters: a team known for defense has rebuilt its offense around him.

Vitals
Born	November 18, 2001, Washington, D.C.
Position	Quarterback
Teams	Oklahoma (2021), USC (2022–2023), Chicago Bears (2024–present)
Draft	2024, Round 1, Pick 1, Chicago Bears
Contract status (Nov. 6, 2026)	Four-year, $39.5 million fully guaranteed rookie deal signed July 2024; fifth-year option available for 2028
Number	18 (Bears); 13 (USC)

USC and the Heisman

The prospect. Williams went to Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., and was one of the most sought-after quarterbacks in his recruiting class, per his Wikipedia biography. He signed with Oklahoma and played for Lincoln Riley. As a true freshman in 2021, he took over the starting job after coming off the bench in the middle of the Red River Showdown against Texas.

The transfer. Riley left Oklahoma for USC after the 2021 season, and Williams went with him. The two seasons that followed in Los Angeles made him the top quarterback prospect in the country.

The Heisman. Williams won the 2022 Heisman Trophy on December 10, 2022. He received 2,031 points and 544 first-place votes. TCU’s Max Duggan was runner-up with 1,420 points. When the voting closed, Williams had completed 296 of 448 passes for 4,075 yards, 37 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, and he had added 10 rushing touchdowns, for 47 touchdowns in all. He played one more season at USC, declared for the 2024 draft, and USC retired his No. 13.

Chicago Bears: 2024 rookie year

The pick. Chicago held the first overall pick because of a 2023 trade with Carolina that also sent receiver D.J. Moore to the Bears. The team used the pick on Williams. In July 2024 he signed a four-year, roughly $39 million rookie contract, which was fully guaranteed. CBS Sports reported that his camp had asked for a clause barring the franchise tag and that the Bears declined. Keenan Allen already wore No. 13 in Chicago, so Williams took No. 18.

The numbers. Williams started all 17 games. He threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and 6 interceptions with an 87.8 passer rating, completing 62.5 percent of his passes. That yardage total is the highest by a rookie in Bears history. He was also sacked 68 times, the most sacks the franchise has allowed in a season.

The upheaval. The Bears lost 23-20 at Detroit on Thanksgiving 2024, a game remembered for poor clock management at the end. The next day, November 29, 2024, Chicago fired head coach Matt Eberflus. It was the first time the franchise had fired a head coach during a season, as NBC News recapped when it covered the next hire.

Chicago Bears: 2025 breakout under Ben Johnson

The hire. The Bears announced the hiring of Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson on January 21, 2025, making him the 19th head coach in franchise history. Johnson soon publicly set a goal for Williams to complete 70 percent of his passes.

The record. Williams threw for 3,942 yards, 27 touchdowns and 7 interceptions with a 90.1 rating. On January 4, 2026, in a 19-16 regular-season-finale loss to Detroit, he passed Erik Kramer’s 1995 mark of 3,838 yards to set the franchise single-season record. Kramer set his record in a 16-game season. Williams played 17 games and finished 58 yards short of becoming the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history. His completion rate was 58.1 percent, the lowest in the NFL among passers with at least 250 attempts. He was sacked 24 times, down from 68. In Week 3 he won his first NFC Offensive Player of the Week award.

The title. Chicago went 11-6 and won its first NFC North title since 2018. The Bears won six regular-season games after trailing with two minutes left, seven counting the wild-card win over Green Bay, according to the team.

The playoffs. On January 10, 2026, Chicago beat Green Bay 31-27 in the wild-card round. The Bears trailed 21-3 at halftime and 21-6 after three quarters. Williams completed 24 of 48 passes for 361 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, and his 25-yard touchdown pass to Moore with 1:43 left won the game. It was the franchise’s first postseason win in 15 years. Eight days later the Rams beat the Bears 20-17 in overtime in the divisional round. Late in regulation, on fourth-and-4, Williams threw a 14-yard touchdown to Cole Kmet with 18 seconds left to tie the game. Kam Curl then intercepted him on Chicago’s only overtime possession. Williams finished 23 of 42 for 257 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Chicago Bears: 2026 outlook

The mandate. Johnson kept the 70 percent goal for 2026. At the start of training camp in July 2026, he said, “It’s always going to be the goal,” and added, “You’re going to have a darn good offense if your quarterback’s completing 70% of the balls thrown,” per the Chicago Sun-Times.

The start. The Bears opened the 2026 season with a 59-37 win at Carolina on September 13. On September 20, in a 9-3 home loss to Minnesota, Williams was carted off with a non-contact right hamstring injury. He missed the next three games. He returned on October 18 at Atlanta and completed 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards in a 31-23 win, which earned him his second NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. Wins over New England and Seattle followed.

The snapshot. Through the Bears’ 34-17 win at Seattle on November 2, 2026, Williams was 4-1 as a starter in 2026 and Chicago was 6-2 overall. In those five games he completed 112 of 158 passes (70.9 percent) for 1,267 yards, 6 touchdowns and 1 interception, with a 104.6 rating. That completion rate was above Johnson’s target.

The contract clock. Under the collective bargaining agreement, Williams cannot sign an extension until January 2027. In April 2026, general manager Ryan Poles called the planning “really a summer project” and said, “Our offense is going to slowly get really expensive,” per Pro Football Rumors.

By the numbers

Season	GP	Cmp-Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	Rate	Sacked
2024	17	351-562	62.5	3,541	20	6	87.8	68
2025	17	330-568	58.1	3,942	27	7	90.1	24
2026*	5	112-158	70.9	1,267	6	1	104.6	13
Career	39	793-1,288	61.6	8,750	53	14	90.9	105

*2026 regular season through Nov. 2, 2026. Regular season only, per NFL.com and ESPN.

Career totals

Per NFL.com, regular season through Nov. 2, 2026.

Ranks

• 1st Passing yards in a season, franchise history (3,942, 2025)
• 1st Passing yards by a rookie, franchise history (3,541, 2024)
• 8th Passing touchdowns, franchise history (53)
• 9th Passing yards, franchise history (8,750)

Per StatMuse single-season, rookie, career yards and career TD leaderboards, through Nov. 2, 2026.

Honors

• 2022 Heisman Trophy
• No. 1 overall pick, 2024 NFL Draft
• 2025 NFC North champion
• Bears single-season passing yards record (2025)
• Bears rookie passing yards record (2024)
• 2× NFC Offensive Player of the Week (2025, 2026)

Per Heisman.com, ESPN and ChicagoBears.com, through Nov. 6, 2026.

The arguments

Is 70 percent realistic? Johnson has called the 70 percent completion target permanent and has refused to lower it, per the Sun-Times. Sports Illustrated’s Bears site has questioned how realistic it is. The Sun-Times noted that his 58.1 percent in 2025 ranked last among passers with at least 250 attempts. Supporters of the goal point to his 70.9 percent through his first five starts of 2026. Skeptics note that five games is a small sample.

Playmaker or risk-taker? Before the 2024 draft, scouts praised his improvisation but questioned his size and a tendency toward “hero ball,” as summarized in his Wikipedia biography. Critics cite the 68 sacks in 2024 and the five interceptions across the two 2025 playoff games. Defenders cite the late-game comebacks in 2025, the wild-card rally from 18 points down and the fourth-down touchdown that tied the divisional game.

What is he worth? Whether Chicago should extend Williams once he becomes eligible in January 2027, or use the fifth-year option and wait, has become a question about cost. Poles has described the planning as already under way and warned that the offense will become expensive, per Pro Football Rumors.

Why it matters

The Bears have played since 1920 and have never had a 4,000-yard passer. Within two seasons Williams held the franchise records for passing yards in a season and by a rookie, and he was the starter for Chicago’s first division title in seven years and first playoff win in fifteen. As of November 6, 2026, his career was 39 regular-season games old. The open questions are whether he becomes the efficient passer Johnson keeps asking for and how much Chicago pays to keep him.