Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson wanted to work with Caleb Williams from the moment the job became available. He was well aware of the quarterback’s incredible talent. Polishing a player like that can lead to great things. However, Johnson also knew it would take time for him to know for sure whether Williams had “it.” Talent is one thing. Did the quarterback have the work ethic, leadership, and big-game mentality to achieve the coach’s plans? More importantly, would their relationship hold up under his strict tutelage?
The answer to both questions was yes. Williams embraced the grind from the beginning, putting in as much time as possible to learn the offense and play quarterback the way one must to win. After a shaky start to the season, the two men engineered magic, leading the Bears to an 11-6 record, a division title, and a playoff victory over Green Bay. They also produced the best offensive performance Chicago has seen in 12 years. There were so many moments that Johnson could pick as his favorite.
The flea flicker to Luther Burden against Dallas.
Hitting Colston Loveland for a TD to stun the Bengals.
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Toppling Green Bay in overtime with that unforgettable bomb to D.J. Moore.
His Jumpman wizardry throw to Rome Odunze on 4th down in the playoffs.
The last-ditch TD to Cole Kmet to force overtime against the Rams.
However, Johnson’s favorite moment actually came right after the season ended in the tough loss to L.A. It was a moment that quietly confirmed to him that Williams was his guy moving forward. Dan Wiederer of The Athletic learned about it.
Ben Johnson cemented a relationship that day.
Johnson had just finished answering questions for nine minutes — on the defeat, on the exhilarating season, on the future — and Williams was headed to give his own eulogy.
For a few seconds, though, the coach and quarterback stopped. They spoke to one another, hugged, then held that moment for an extra beat.
This was, in essence, a thank-you note. Genuine and reciprocal.
A few months later, even the oft hard-edged Johnson still felt gratitude for what that short embrace represented. He paused and, through glassy eyes, offered this.
“It’s why you do what you do as a coach. You know?” Johnson told The Athletic. “At this level, yeah, you want to win games and all that. But the relationships you forge, it’s really still all about that.”
Johnson and Williams have reached a level few have in Bears history.
Anybody who has followed the NFL for long enough understands one fundamental truth. There is no more important relationship in the game than the one between coach and quarterback. If the two aren’t on the same page, the team won’t win many games. Conversely, if they’re in perfect sync, magic happens. You have Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, Drew Brees and Sean Payton, Joe Montana and Bill Walsh, and so on. Unfortunately, the Bears have struggled for decades to solve this formula.
Matt Nagy never had complete faith in Mitch Trubisky. Jay Cutler never trusted Lovie Smith. Even Jim McMahon and Mike Ditka were often at odds because of their personalities. You’d have to go all the way back to Sid Luckman and George Halas to find that kind of tight bond. It sounds like Ben Johnson understood the need to learn not just about Williams the player, but also the person. Their growing affection for one another has become impossible to miss as training camp unfolded in August.
Credit must go where it is due.
It would’ve been so easy for Johnson to approach the situation with skepticism. Sure, Williams was a former #1 pick, but he’d never run the type of offense the Bears head coach had planned. Johnson could’ve gone in with assumptions. Then, once Williams struggled at first, he could’ve used it as confirmation that this wasn’t the type of quarterback he needed. The relationship would get off to a bad start and could sour even further over time. We’ve seen it happen many times across the NFL.
Johnson did not do that. He made a conscious effort to learn how Williams took coaching and played the game. Then he adapted his approach both on and off the field to help maximize the young quarterback. It worked beautifully. Williams finished with a franchise record 3,941 passing yards and led 7 comebacks in the 4th quarter. Soon, Johnson fully trusted his quarterback when the chips were down, and the quarterback trusted the head coach to make the right calls.
There are no further questions. The two men are joined at the hip, ready to sink or swim together.
