
Ben Johnson surprised many by guiding the Chicago Bears to the Divisional Round in his first season in charge. The franchise hired the head coach on Jan. 21, 2025, hoping that he would be the long-term answer it was looking for.
He proved his worth by earning the trust of his staff and players. They bought into his system and followed his lead. It resulted in a successful campaign, as the team also won the NFC North with an 11-6 record.
Caleb Williams shone in his second season, completing 58.1% of his passes for 27 touchdowns against only seven interceptions. One of the keys to his impressive campaign was having constant communication with Johnson starting in the offseason.
The “Pardon My Take” podcast hosted Williams on Friday. Dan Katz and Eric Sollenberger asked him many questions about the Bears, their preparations for next season and his expectations for 2026. However, his revelation about how often and for how long he met with Johnson surprised the hosts.
“It depends on the time of the offseason,” Williams said. “So this past whatever, OTAs and minicamp, we end up meeting at the end of the week.
“Any questions or anything like that, I can obviously always ask him. We end up meeting at the end of the week, and we go through the whole week, and then kind of preparing for what we’re preparing for next week.
“And then during the season, we meet every day. … They could be from one hour and 30 to two hours and 30 at the end of the night.”
Williams acknowledged that this type of close communication is not typical for a normal NFL head coach. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner also shared how much he’s learned from Johnson.
“Yeah, I learned a ton,” Williams said. “Anything he says, you know, you go out there, and you do, and you practice it. You work on it, you know, it’s when you’re conscious, and you’re conscious of it.
“And you go out there and rep them and, you know, get these reps in, and it pays off. And so those meetings are really important to me and really important to him.”
Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. Lock step @PardonMyTake pic.twitter.com/VCstqQ6OrH
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) June 26, 2026
Williams and Johnson have their sights set on making even more noise next season. Chicago faces the toughest schedule in the NFL, but with the duo leading the team, they have a fighting chance of surpassing their 2025 achievements.
More must-reads:
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!