Caleb Williams lived up to the hype in many ways last season. After a frustrating rookie year in 2024, he stepped into the spotlight for the first time. Williams threw for 3,941 yards, a Chicago Bears record. He accounted for 30 total touchdowns, led seven 4th quarter comebacks, won the NFC North, and beat the Green Bay Packers in the wild card playoff. He’s already accomplished more in two seasons than most previous Bears quarterbacks did across their entire tenures. It certainly earned him plenty of admirers.
It also may have changed a lot of minds about him as well. One of his more outspoken critics was Matt Hasselbeck. The former Pro Bowl quarterback wasn’t overly complimentary of Williams after his rookie season. He felt most of the 68 sacks he took that year were on him, holding the ball way too long and not getting it out. On top of that, his body language when things weren’t going well didn’t reflect great leadership. It wasn’t the conduct one would expect of a #1 overall pick.
By the sound of it, Hasselbeck’s opinion has shifted considerably as he explained on The Herd.
“He was the most improved QB in the NFL last year. His jump from Year 1 to Year 2 was incredible…
…The best thing I could say about Caleb Williams is he has a clutch gene that is really hard to find. You can do all the great practicing and all the great, you know, 7-on-7 and all the whatever, but the elite quarterbacks, the elite playmakers, they have that clutch gene, and he absolutely showed that he has that.”
The irony is Hasselbeck should understand Caleb Williams’ pain.
After spending two years as a backup in Green Bay, he became the starter in Seattle in 2001. Hasselbeck was sacked 38 times in just 12 games. While maybe not at the ridiculous clip Williams set as a rookie, it was pretty clear Hasselbeck suffered from the same issues. His head was swimming, which led to indecision, and the indecision led to sacks. It happens to almost every young quarterback. Now, as an analyst, it is his job to critique quarterbacks. One would at least think he’d be a little more understanding of Williams’ plight.
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Whatever the case, at least Hasselbeck had the guts to pivot from his original position. Many analysts are too proud to do something like that. They don’t want to look like they made a mistake, so they cling to their original judgment like a lifeline. Not Hasselbeck. He evaluated last season and recognized the reality. Caleb Williams was a much better quarterback. Perfect? Of course not. There are still several issues to iron out, but the young man is trending in the right direction.
His words certainly ring true in one sense.
He said that the greatest quarterbacks in the sport have the clutch gene. This is proven true by the 4th quarter comeback stat. Through two seasons, Williams already has nine. Since the stat became commonplace in 1950, ten quarterbacks have 30 or more in a career. Eight of those ten quarterbacks won at least one Super Bowl championship. The other two are in the Hall of Fame (Dan Marino) or soon will be (Matt Ryan). Williams is currently on pace for 45 if he plays a decade in the league.
People can discuss the details of how he plays the game all they want. One thing is indisputable. When crunch time arrives, few in the NFL are better at elevating their play than Williams. He lives for those moments. Howie Long once said he sees John Elway in the Bears quarterback. That comparison is perhaps the most fitting. Elway wasn’t always the most efficient QB in the league, but he had a constant habit of making things happen for his team when they absolutely had to have it. Williams is the same.
