How Caleb Williams captivated Chicago in 2025, with endless potential on the horizon for 2026

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There were plenty of emotions swirling in Caleb Williams’ head as he walked off Soldier Field.

It’s hard to stop the pain from taking over, especially in a game where the Bears were just a first down away from having a chance to try a game-winning field goal.

Instead, it was all over. It’s only natural for it to hurt in the moment. That’s when Williams looked up to the crowd.

"You lose that game, you're walking out of the game and the fans stand up and cheer and roar in a tough moment," Williams said. "It goes a long way."

This was a year for Caleb Williams.

When Ben Johnson first entered Halas Hall as the Chicago Bears head coach, he did so tasked with bringing the best out of Williams in Year 2 and beyond.

In the end, Williams did more than prove he’s the quarterback Bears’ fans have been waiting for. He captivated the entire city of Chicago. 

Big picture view:

If you look around Chicago, you’ll see it.

Wired headphones, matcha drinks and even painted nails. Chicago is embracing Williams as a star. It’s completely understandable, too.

Williams has led the Bears to seven comeback wins this season. Two of those came against the Packers as he helped lift the Bears to an NFC North division title. He’s risen to a level of notoriety that few Chicago star athletes can claim.

Now, as the season has come to an end, Williams can see the impact he’s made on the city by winning games in Chicago.

"That was part of the reason why I said I can do it here," Williams said. "To bring life, to bring joy, to bring excitement, to being a Chicago Bears fan, to be able to cheer for us. I do take pride in it. It's really cool, honestly, to be able to have those small things like that. Just being able to have the city behind you."

The city has followed Williams as he’s won games. The ultimate proof was never in the statistics, but in how Williams could make the biggest plays.

He had one more big play for the road on Sunday, with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Cole Kmet on fourth and four with the season on the line. The pass flew over 50 yards as Williams backed up to the Bears’ 40-yard line before launching.

"He did it again!" NBC play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico exclaimed on the NBC broadcast.

For the players around Williams, this was what he’s been doing all season long. The players followed, the wins came and then the city followed after.

"He shows up in big games all the time, makes throws that no one can fathom," Bears running back Kyle Monangai said. "That’s who he is. We go as he goes."

What's next:

Williams is aware that there needs to be more.

He already stressed that he’s going to be working on footwork and accuracy this offseason. What helps is that Williams will have a year under his belt in Johnson’s offense.

Knowing what he needs to do to improve will go a long way in dictating his offseason, especially when he’s shown he can improve with an offseason’s worth of work.

Last year, Williams was adamant that he wanted to work on his deep-ball skills and reduce the number of sacks he took. In the 2025 season, Williams threw touchdown passes of 65, 46 and 58 yards. He was also sacked just 24 times this season, compared to a staggering 68 times in 2024.

Saying accuracy and footwork are his main objectives means it’s fair to expect Williams to be better in both regards in the 2026 NFL season.

"It's just super small things to be able to be more consistent for the guys, for the team, be able to keep the offense on the field as long as possible and be as efficient as possible," Williams said. "That's something that I want to do for myself and this offense and this team."

Another reason to believe Williams can take the next step is the relationship he has with his head coach.

Williams was candid earlier this season about his relationship with Ben Johnson being fragile. He didn’t know if Johnson actually liked him, and he didn’t know how the relationship would work in Chicago.

Now, Williams has been candid about how much Johnson helped him grow in just one season.

In the future, anything is possible.

"He's been everything that Chicago's needed as a coach, and we're happy to have him," Williams said. "I'm happy to have him as my coach and what he's been able to do for me. It's been unparalleled, so I'm excited about that. I'm excited that we're going to be together. I'm excited about our future."