The Bears’ decision to hire Ben Johnson as their head coach this offseason was immediately tied to quarterback Caleb Williams and that connection has not faded away as the team has gotten on the field this summer.
Williams was drafted first overall in 2024 because the Bears were looking for the franchise quarterback that has always eluded them. There’s been talk of throwing for 4,000 yards and completing 70 percent of his passes while turning the team into a consistent winner, which creates some weighty expectations for a player in his second season.
During an appearance on ESPN 1000, Williams said that he isn’t feeling any pressure attached to those goals.
“Pressure’s not a thing for me,” Williams said. “I don’t think of it that way. It’s not my job to care what the outside noise is and things like that. My job is take care of everything in here and go out there and play. I know we didn’t win as many games as we wanted to last year, but I didn’t go 20 [touchdowns] and 20 interceptions and things like that. So, you know, take it for what you want, but no pressure is prevalent; pressure is a privilege, but you know the situation that I’m at. I don’t think I have pressure.”
Others might have a different view of Williams’s situation heading into his second season, but any word choice will carry the same need to show the kind of clear growth after a five-win 2024 season that leads to questions about pressure to win it all rather than simply making it in the NFL.
