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Colin Cowherd Fires Off a Shocking Caleb Williams Prediction

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Pete Martuneac | Last updated Feb 19, 2026 8:47 AM ET

It may be hard to remember at this point, but there was a time when the NFL world believed that Caleb Williams was about to join the Chicago Bears' quarterback graveyard. Following a chaotic rookie season, rife with coaching failures that proved Williams' pre-draft concerns about the Bears were right, nobody outside of Chicago believed that Williams could be salvaged into a decent starter, let alone live up to his generational billing.

Leading this charge against the Bears' quarterback was none other than Colin Cowherd. During the 2025 offseason, Cowherd would cast doubt on Williams' fit with the Bears on his radio show, The Herd, nearly daily. He called Williams and the Bears a 'disastrous first date' and flatly declared that Williams can't play in structure, which would create dysfunction between the quarterback and new head coach Ben Johnson.

What a difference a year makes. Just two weeks after putting the Bears at No. 4 in his 2026 NFL rankings, Cowherd is now predicting that Caleb Williams has a very real chance of being the best quarterback in the NFL by Labor Day weekend of the 2026 NFL season.

"I don't care about resume. I'm not into past celebrations or past failures. I'm into projecting 2026 Labor Day Weekend. Is Caleb the best quarterback in the league?"@colincowherd thinks Caleb Williams could soon be the best QB in the NFL pic.twitter.com/sw4gyjXZ9F
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) February 18, 2026

It's not just about the stats

Cowherd rattled off some stats that most people thought would never be applied to a Chicago Bears quarterback. In 2025, Williams made the second-most Big Time Throws in the league, and he also had the longest completion. Since entering the league, Williams has the lowest interception rate. Cowherd also looked beyond the stats, too, pointing out that Williams hasn't missed a single game thus far in his NFL career. Continuity like that is critical to a team's success.

And on top of all this, he is still on his rookie deal. In terms of salary cap percentage, Cowherd pointed out that Williams' 2026 salary will be just 3.5% of the total salary cap, while Lamar Jackson's contract will account for over 25% of the Ravens' cap.

The Bottom Line

Many people will scoff at this idea, and it's understandable. This is a big projection for a young player who still has a lot to prove and a lot to work on. But as Cowherd said, "I don't care about resumes. I'm not into past celebrations or past failures. I'm into projecting 2026 Labor Day Weekend. Is Caleb Williams the best quarterback in the league?" Cowherd made a very strong case in the affirmative, and I have to agree with him.

Williams passes the eye test with flying colors. He absolutely looks the part of the best quarterback in the league. His focus in 2026 will turn towards finding more consistent success and less reliance on furious fourth-quarter comebacks, but the very fact that he can do those things is just another mark in his favor as an ascending superstar.

For now, this is all still debatable. However, if it all comes together for Williams in Year 2 with Ben Johnson, and he can help Chicago win its second Lombardi trophy, the argument will be over, and Williams will be the best quarterback in the league. Yes, better than Patrick Mahomes. Buckle up, Bears fans. 2026 could be a crazy season.