They say some leaders aren’t born, they’re made. It isn’t yet clear what the true origin story for Caleb Williams is, but one thing is clear. The Chicago Bears‘ quarterback has evolved as a leader over the past calendar year. He entered 2025 on uncertain ground. He had people questioning his maturity after a rookie season that saw him not always handle the losing and frequent hits too well. Many said it was a body language issue. Would the same problems persist under new head coach Ben Johnson?
Nope.
Williams not only improved his body language, but he also displayed more frequent moments of vocal leadership. He’d encourage teammates when they were down. He’d yell at them to do their job when they made mistakes. Most importantly, he would stay calm in high-pressure situations. All of it culminated in an 11-6 season, a division title, and a playoff victory.
People are wondering what Williams will do for an encore this year. It would appear the young quarterback might be thinking bigger than just the Bears. Could he be taking up the fight for every player in the NFL? His latest tweet suggests as much.
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Caleb Williams has been vocal about the NFL’s ongoing turf war.
For those who don’t know, there is no set standard for what turf teams play on. Each franchise is allowed to install whatever type they wish in its stadium. Some use natural grass. Others use artificial field turf. This has created a serious point of contention between the league and the players, who feel the artificial surfaces aren’t safe enough and lead to way too many career-threatening injuries like torn Achilles and torn ACLs. Matters came to a head over the past month when FIFA brought the World Cup to U.S. shores. One of the requirements of hosting the event was removing artificial turf from every host stadium and replacing it with natural grass.
This has caused a wave of outrage among NFL players. They feel their franchises have no problem catering to international athletes who almost never play in the U.S., but play it cheap for the men who actually put their bodies on the line to fill their pockets. Caleb Williams and several others have begun taking up the cry for a league-wide ban on artificial surfaces and going to natural grass everywhere. The projected cost is said to be around $17 million for the initial conversion. The needed infrastructure would be another $5 million. Then, at most, around $3 million annually to maintain it.
For anybody who knows anything about the NFL’s finances, that is chump change. Teams blow $3 million per year on below-average players all the time.
It sounds like Williams and others are preparing for war.
This is not a topic that is going away. Players have grumbled about it for years, always bubbling beneath the surface. The World Cup controversy merely brought it back to the surface. The calls are getting louder. It feels like this will be a point of contention between players and owners, leading to some ugly legal fights in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement. The current CBA runs through 2030. It’s already apparent that the stage is set for a battle over owners wanting an 18-game schedule. Now, this playing surface issue could complicate matters even further.
Williams hasn’t been shy about sharing his opinion on the matter. He is a major advocate of playing on grass. There is something on the line with it, too. There is a strong possibility he will play on turf in a few years once the Bears build their new stadium. It isn’t something he is probably looking forward to. That would explain why he is taking up the call to push owners to adopt grass as the league-wide playing surface. Player unity has been a constant issue in recent years on important issues like this.
Somebody needs to take up a leadership position. The Bears’ quarterbacks seems ready and willing.
