Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, finished 11-6 and claimed a wild-card victory with the Chicago Bears.
What happened?
He guided the Bears from the bottom of the standings to the top of the NFC North, finishing 11-6 and claiming a wild-card victory before Chicago fell 20-17 in overtime to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round on December 20, 2025.
The passer nicknamed "Iceman" rewrote the team's record book with 3,942 passing yards and authored a league-record seven fourth-quarter rallies, playoffs included.
Why it matters for Caleb Williams
His 37 big-time throws trailed only reigning MVP Matthew Stafford, and Pro Football Focus slotted him 13th among 2026 starters.
Caleb Williams will also appear on the cover of Madden NFL 27, a nod to his rising profile, as he enters back-to-back seasons in the same system.
What comes next?
The road ahead looks unusually stable, too, with a deep receiving group that should keep Chicago among the league's top-five offenses, and a bond forming with Jahdae Walker.
On Sunday, Jahdae Walker turned 24, and the Bears marked the occasion with an Instagram graphic that paired a birthday message with a highlight of the young wideout, as Caleb Williams shared the post to his own Instagram story and kept his reaction brief, writing "My guyyy".
The relationship carries more weight than a single social media exchange, as Chicago brought Walker aboard after he went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the Texas A&M product worked his way into the rotation.
He finished with six catches for 87 yards and two scores, and his contested grab against Green Bay underlined why the staff trusts his hands, as Caleb Williams has earned praise around the locker room for staying composed when games tighten.
Caleb Williams spoke at minicamp in Lake Forest on June 11, 2026, another marker of a partnership still taking shape, with a demanding slate ahead, widely viewed as the NFL's toughest.
An inexpensive connection like the one forming with Walker could stretch defenses in ways opponents fail to plan for, as the Bears look to build momentum for a bold 2026 run with Caleb Williams at the helm.