Bears QB Caleb Williams' eyebrow-raising comments should put NFL on notice

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson was known as arguably the best offensive play-caller in the NFL when he was pulling the strings for Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions.

That's why the Bears went out and got him, after all. The idea was that he'd be just the guy to unlock the full potential of quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

We saw glimpses of that in 2025 as the Bears went 11-6, won the NFC North and made the divisional round of the playoffs.

Williams threw for 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions. He also rushed for 388 yards and three touchdowns.

The Bears were right. Johnson was indeed the key that could unlock the Heisman Trophy winner we all saw at USC. The thing is, though, Williams wasn't even comfortable with Johnson's offense at that point. 

Now with a whole season under his belt and half an offseason, he told the media in Chicago that he's actually starting to have some fun again playing football.

"It's a hell of a lot more fun for me than it was last year just because it was — I was saying it to (running backs) Coach [Eric] Studes[ville], 'Dude, I feel like I was drowning trying to breathe or stay alive and wait for a boat to come around last year,'" Williams said, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN. 

"Now this year it's being able to start where we finished last year, play calls and words and verbiage and speak the same language and now it's being able to grow more from an earlier stage than maybe doing it a little bit earlier in the season or halfway through the season, speaking on things that really help throughout the year. That's the advantage."

Ben Johnson has unlocked Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams 

If 2025 was Williams playing while still figuring out Johnson's scheme, what is 2026 going to look like?

Perhaps a good indicator would be the Lions offense from 2024. That offense, led by Johnson as the offensive coordinator, was one of the most prolific in NFL history.

The Lions led the league with 564 points scored on 33.2 points per game that season. The next-highest point total was the Buffalo Bills with 525.

Quarterback Jared Goff was a first-team All-Pro and an MVP candidate while throwing for 4,629 yards and 37 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions. His completion percentage was 72.4%. His passing success rate was 54.7%, which was the best of his career.

Goff is a former No. 1 overall pick himself, but even the biggest Goff fans wouldn't suggest that he had or has the overall athletic ceiling that Williams possesses.

So what can Johnson accomplish with Williams in 2026? That has to be a scary thought for the rest of the NFC.