The first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft makes his highly anticipated debut Sunday, with the The Chicago Bears Desperately hoping Caleb Williams can finally be the franchise quarterback they’ve always dreamed of.
Chicago fans have been in an uproar since Williams’ name was called in the draft, because not only are they deprived of recent success, but in their 104-year history, the team has never truly had a superstar at the most important position in sports.
The fact that this team is the only one in the league to never have a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards or 30 touchdowns in a season underscores this fact.
Williams could be the man to change all that.
Only three quarterbacks selected first overall in the draft have won in the first week of their rookie season, while the last 15 have failed to win their first NFL start since David Carr did so in 2002.
But few of those QBs have joined a team as well-organized as the Bears, who have gone to great lengths to build a team prepared for Williams to win immediately.
And during training camp and the preseason, he impressed his teammates enough to suggest he might just be the franchise’s savior.
“He’s ready. He’s ready for the task. His confidence is good,” said the new recruit, the veteran receiver Keenan Allen.
“He’s improved since we started. Confidence is through the roof.”
Why Williams should have been the first choice
It was a no-brainer for Chicago to select Williams – not only because he had a talent too good to pass up, but also because he had the personality and charisma to become the next big thing in sports.
In a word, he’s different. Not just in his talent on the field, but in his personality off it, and a larger-than-life personality is exactly what’s needed to turn around this flagging franchise.
Bears fans hope to remember the pick in years to come as a turning point for a team without a Super Bowl since the famous 1985 season, without a playoff victory since 2010 and without much hope since then.
There have been missteps and near misses, but the Bears, the NFL’s second-oldest team with nine total championships, have never had a star quarterback in modern times.
Now their dreams rest on a 22-year-old who, in college football, could do just about anything.
What kind of quarterback is Williams?
After starting at Oklahoma, Williams transferred to the University of Southern California (USC) and easily won the Heisman Trophy as college football’s top player in his freshman year at USC in 2022.
The team struggled more last year, but Williams still shined not only as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks, but also as one who doesn’t lose the ball.
Williams totaled 10,082 passing yards and 93 touchdowns in his three years in college – throwing just 14 interceptions – along with 960 rushing yards and 27 rushing touchdowns.
Add to that the fact that Williams can extend plays and throw equally well while scrambling or in the pocket – think Patrick Mahomes And Aaron Rodgers on the run — and he had NFL talent evaluators salivating over his skills.
In crucial third- and fourth-down situations, he elevated his game to an elite level, completing 199 passes without an interception, while in the red zone, he threw 46 touchdowns and only turned the ball over once.
“One of the most talented quarterbacks I’ve ever evaluated,” said the former NFL quarterback and now Chris Simms, television analyst. “One of the greatest pitchers in college football history.”
Caleb Williams – A Superstar in the Making
Williams is one of the most marketable sports stars in the United States — without even playing in the NFL yet. Even in college, he reportedly earned up to $10m (£8m) under sponsorship agreements.
He always does things his way, he has his own style – like his pink phone case and painted nails when he watches the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
A video of Williams crying with his mother after USC’s loss to Washington last year also went viral — something he later used as part of his mental health advocacy.
“I give everything I have every game, every opportunity I get. I’m an advocate for mental health, show your emotions and express yourself,” Williams said on social media in response.
And true to his word, Williams has his own foundation called Caleb careswhich focuses on mental health, anti-bullying and youth empowerment.
He’s the first true millionaire college star to make the NFL, which some say means he won’t have the same hunger – but he’s shown how passionate he can be and seems certain to give it his all to bring success to the Chicago Bears.
Why Williams Can Revive the Bears
Instead of sleeping giant, read hibernating Bears. Created over a century ago, this team is one of only two original NFL teams still in existence, but it has been starved of success in recent times.
The Bears have won nine NFL championships – although only one of them was a Super Bowl – have won the second most games in NFL history and have the most players inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Only one of them was a true franchise quarterback — and the fact that it was Sid Luckman 85 years ago shows why fans are desperate for Williams to fill that painful void.
The team wrote Mitchell Trubisky with the second overall pick in 2017 – bypassing Mahomes – and Justin Fields with the 11th selection in 2021 but neither worked out.
They went all-in on Williams, though, as the only quarterback they brought to Chicago during the pre-draft process, and provided their new playmaker with receiving targets.
Rome Odunze was selected with the ninth overall pick in this year’s draft and veteran Keenan Allen, a six-time Pro Bowler, arrived in free agency to join DJ Moore in a now stacked receiving group.
With a new stadium under construction, Chicago may finally have hope for the future – but a lot rests on the talented shoulders of their new quarterback.
