The Chicago Bears had every reason to be happy with Caleb Williams at the conclusion of the 2025 season. He’d set the franchise record for passing yards in a season with 3,942. He compiled 30 total touchdowns and only seven interceptions. His seven 4th quarterback comebacks was one of the highest marks for a season in NFL history, and he beat the Green Bay Packers twice. You won’t hear much criticism in Halas Hall or in Chicagoland. We already know what the media thinks: whatever gets the most engagement.

So what about people inside the NFL?

Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron got some answers to those questions during his visit to San Francisco for Super Bowl LX. The general vibe he got was that people were impressed with the progress Williams made, feeling he’s already put himself in the top 15 among NFL quarterbacks. However, there was one issue they had with his performance this year, and it isn’t what you think. It had nothing to do with his completion percentage. It was that he didn’t run the ball enough.

The Williams opinions this year were far more positive. Not as overly positive as Johnson, but I think the vast majority think Williams is going to be a very good quarterback. In fact, I didn’t hear anyone talk about Williams like he isn’t already a top-half QB1 in the league already. The debate was more, will this guy become an elite top 5 quarterback, or a very good borderline top ten quarterback?

There was plenty of talk about Williams needing to use his legs a little bit more often, and the obvious comments about cleaning up some of the easy and basic stuff that he misses sometimes, but you know what I didn’t hear once? “Yeah, but his completion percentage…” That was refreshing.

This criticism of Caleb Williams has some validity.

It is common knowledge that the Bears quarterback is mobile. That was a huge part of his game at USC, and he used it countless times this season to slither out of trouble. The issue is that he didn’t take more opportunities to make defenses pay on the ground. He settled for buying time to throw the ball. Here is the top ten quarterbacks for rushing attempts in the 2025 season. You might be shocked not just by how many rank ahead of Williams, but also by some of the names.

Don’t forget Jackson and Fields both didn’t play a full season. There is a strong likelihood Williams would’ve been even further down the list than he is. On top of that, seeing guys like Lawrence and Herbert ahead of him, two guys who have never really been known for running a lot, hammers home what the experts are saying. Williams is fast. He had the fastest carry of any quarterback all season at 21.01 mph. That was just shy of cracking the top ten among all players in the NFL. It was a weapon that went underutilized.

Williams’ commitment to being a passer first is admirable.

It’s also the correct way to think. However, smart quarterbacks understand that if their legs are a weapon, they should use them at every opportunity. Patrick Mahomes is a perfect example. The Chiefs never use designed runs with him, but the quarterback understands when he can use his feet to make plays. It is why Kansas City has been a nightmare to defend since he became a starter in 2018. Caleb Williams is considerably faster than him and has the same natural feel for evading defenders.

Continuing to operate from the pocket is the correct course of action. The trick for Williams is simple, if not always easy. Rather than buying time waiting for somebody to come open, if there is open space ahead of him, take it. Nobody is demanding he fight his way through defenders and take unnecessary hits. Get as many yards as possible and then hit the turf or get out of bounds.

If you don’t think this has an effect, look at Jay Cutler. In the two years he had the most rushing attempts as the Bears’ quarterback, he went 21-11, the only two winning records of his career. Defenses want one of two things: for the QB to stay in the pocket or just run all the time. That’s easy to defend. When you do both frequently, it becomes a big problem. That is where Williams must go.

Going into the offseason, the debate was relatively steady on what the Chicago Bears would do in the 1st round of the upcoming NFL draft. Most agree it was a dead heat between a defensive lineman and a left tackle for the 25th overall pick. Much of this was due to the injury situation with Ozzy Trapilo and their other two options, Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet, being free agents. That discussion just took a potentially decisive turn with a significant update from Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

While discussing the outcome of Super Bowl LX and how it impacts the Bears’ offseason plans, he revealed that there is now a strong possibility that Trapilo could miss most of the 2026 season.

“What the options are remains to be seen. It’s possible the Bears would consider re-signing Jones, who will be an unrestricted free agent. Trapilo’s recovery from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee could sideline him for the bulk of the 2026 season.”

If this is true, the decision for the Bears becomes far clearer. They can’t afford to wait that long for Trapilo to return. Even when he does, he will be rusty and take a long time to return to 100%. Leaning on a bridge option for a few games is one thing. Most of a season? That is never a smart plan. It is time to wrap our heads around left tackle being the primary focus in the draft this April.

The Chicago Bears can find one if they’re smart about it.

It isn’t completely unheard of for teams to find quality left tackles in the bottom half of the 1st round. The difficult part is evaluating which ones have the best chance of becoming solid pros. Here is a list of every tackle taken between picks #16 and #32 in the last ten years.

As with every list of this nature, there are some bad apples in the bunch. However, there are quite a few quality starters, including some Pro Bowlers. Head coach Ben Johnson worked with Decker in Detroit and had great success. One common thread between the successful ones is whether they have the intelligence and the footwork necessary to handle the edge. That is a mistake teams make far more often than they’ll admit. The good news is Johnson lists those as top priorities for any left tackle he wants.

The Bears aren’t likely to put all their eggs in one basket.

It would be incredibly reckless of them to wait until the draft and expect a tackle they like to fall to #25. A much smarter approach is adding a veteran via free agency or a limited trade to supplement the position, at least giving them some insurance in case the draft doesn’t go as they hope. Biggs mentioned bringing back Jones is a possibility. He has over 40 games of starting experience and showed himself to be more than serviceable when healthy. Putting together a few months of good play in this offseason would elevate his profile for next year’s free agency.

Another name to consider is Cam Robinson. Despite still only being 30 years old, he has started 114 games in the NFL, most of them at left tackle. His past two seasons have been inconsistent due to being on four different teams, but he was very good in his final three years with Jacksonville from 2021 to 2023. If the money isn’t too steep, he would make for a solid insurance policy in case the Chicago Bears can’t get somebody they want in the draft. The options aren’t ideal, but there are possibilities.

Current projections show four realistic options for the Bears

Based on what all draft experts are saying, the best offensive tackle in this class is Spencer Fano of Utah. Every projection to date has him going somewhere in the top 10. That means unless the Chicago Bears are willing to be aggressive in trading up, they won’t consider him. While things can still change a lot between now and April 25th, it looks like there are four plausible options that could be on the board at #25.

• Kadyn Proctor of Alabama
• Caleb Lomu of Utah
• Monroe Freeling of Georgia
• Max Inheanachor of Arizona State

From what we know about Johnson’s preferences, he will prioritize whomever he feels has the best pass protection skills. He wants somebody smart who can survive on an island without constant help. That takes athleticism, technique, and grit. Each of these four possesses those traits to varying degrees. It will come down to who stands out the most on tape and handles Johnson’s trademark intense interview approach. If somebody jumps out above the rest, don’t be surprised if the Bears go after them with a trade up this spring.

Matthew Stafford achieved what was the last true missing piece to what has been a Hall of Fame career in 2025, winning league MVP at age 38. It didn’t come easy. He barely beat out New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye by one vote, marking the closest race in 22 years. In hindsight, the league should be breathing a sigh of relief that it went that way. Imagine how it would’ve looked if Maye won the award and then had that ugly showing in the Super Bowl. The right man won. Now with the season over, all eyes are moving to 2026, with betting odds already listed for who will win the honor next season. It may shock you to learn the most bet-on person for this is none other than Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.

His odds are currently listed at +1500, meaning if you bet $1,000 on him and he won, you’d be in line for $15,000. It is the right mix of calculated risk and plausibility.

One could argue that Williams even had a case for the award this season. He finished with 3,942 passing yards, 30 total touchdowns, and just 7 interceptions. He led seven 4th quarter comebacks, including one in the playoffs against the Green Bay Packers. A case can be made that nobody was more valuable to his team’s success. Unfortunately, winning MVP as a quarterback typically requires much more than that.

Caleb Williams must meet certain thresholds to have a chance.

Based on what the previous five MVPs accomplished, the numbers required to get into the MVP conversation are significant. On average, Williams would need 4,300 passing yards, 39 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. If that seems daunting, it should. No Bears quarterback has ever cracked 4,000 yards in a season in over a century, much less 4,300. None has thrown 30 touchdowns either. The interception part shouldn’t be a problem for Williams. He’s been particularly good at keeping that number low.

The good news is that he has some factors in his favor. Ben Johnson is his head coach. The man is unquestionably one of the best offensive minds in football. If he got what he did out of Caleb Williams in their first year together, one has to imagine they’ll be even better in year two as familiarity with the system sinks in. There are also the weapons involved. Colston Loveland is an emerging star. Luther Burden flashed tons of upside while Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore should be healthy. That group is capable of big things.

If Williams can improve his completion percentage to a more average NFL level (65%), his numbers should spike.

Williams is chasing a 49-year-old ghost.

The MVP award was instituted by the NFL in 1957. In all of that time, only one Bears player has claimed the honor. That was the late, great Walter Payton in 1977. His 1,852 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns (in 14 games) proved crucial to getting Chicago to the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. This includes a 275-yard performance against Minnesota while he was battling the flu. It was an epic campaign that laid the groundwork for one of the greatest careers in pro football history. Since then, Bears players have been chasing that ghost.

Frankly, none have come close. However, almost all of them didn’t have Caleb Williams’ talent. The MVP award has become the Best Quarterback Award these days. Chicago hasn’t had one anywhere near good enough to challenge the NFL elite. Until now. Everything has aligned like never before. The coach and supporting cast are in place. Williams has the obsessive work ethic to improve. If he stays healthy next season and refines some of the issues that dogged him last year, he can join Sweetness in that exclusive club.

Ben Johnson made it clear that what the Chicago Bears accomplished in 2025, while commendable, won’t be carried over into 2026. He knows that teams change a lot in one offseason, so the team the Bears had before won’t be what they walk into this September with. Johnson will thus have to find new ways to motivate them. He may not have to look far for ideas. John Ewing recently revealed on Twitter (X) that Bet MGM revealed the early betting odds for next year’s Super Bowl.

It had the usual suspects at the top. The reigning champion Seattle Seahawks had the best odds at +800, with their division rival Los Angeles Rams, right behind them at +900. One would think the Bears have a solid spot on that list, right? Nope. They sit at +2500, just ahead of the Bengals and Cowboys, who missed the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers, the team the Bears beat in the playoffs, are at +1400. The Chargers, who haven’t won a playoff game since Philip Rivers left, are +1500. Last but not least, the Jaguars, who were one-and-done in the playoffs, are +2000.

If there was ever an indication that people think the Bears’ run was a fluke, this confirms it.

Ben Johnson already has a priceless piece of bulletin board material.

By far the easiest way for a head coach to motivate his players is to play on the idea that nobody respects them. The only ones who believe in the team are the guys in that locker room. Professional athletes have big egos. They don’t like being ignored, especially after having considerable success the previous season. Seeing it brushed off as nothing special leads to annoyance. That annoyance leads to anger. The head coach then channels that anger into working harder in practice. That hard work leads to success on the field.

This is what Ben Johnson is almost certain to do over the next several months. Media outlets will spend every day overlooking the Bears, focusing more on established contenders than on a surprise Cinderella story. That will continue sitting in the back of the players’ minds, driving them all the harder. Johnson will be right there stoking the fire, eager to get them so worked up that they’re ready to kill somebody on opening day. George Halas was a master at it in his day. Johnson should have no issue following that classic playbook.

It isn’t a secret that the Bears will face a tougher schedule next year. That is the price you pay for winning the division. Johnson will need every edge he can find to get his players ready. Small snubs like this can go a long way when applied correctly.

For the longest time, the NFL has operated on a predictable set of rules regarding trades. You have the midseason deadline at the end of October. They don’t become official until the start of the new league year in March. Lastly, and perhaps the most overlooked, teams cannot trade picks any further than three years into the future. The Chicago Bears are no strangers to this; they have gone to that well a few times in some of their more aggressive trades over the years. However, it appears things are about to change.

Adam Schefter of ESPN appeared on The Pat McAfee Show this week to talk about the situation regarding star pass rusher Maxx Crosby and if the Las Vegas Raiders will trade him. It was then that the longtime insider dropped a bombshell. Apparently, there is expected to be a significant push in NFL circles to change that rule. Rather than it being three years, it would become five years. Meaning, teams would be able to give up picks as far ahead as 2030. That would be a significant shift towards more of an NBA model, which allows teams to surrender picks seven years into the future.

The Chicago Bears would enter a more dangerous era.

First and foremost, what comes to mind with such a change is how more frequent blockbuster trades would become. Teams can offer a maximum of three 1st-round picks in most trades to acquire a player they covet. Try to imagine what happens if those teams are suddenly allowed to push it to four or five 1st round picks. It would become almost impossible to say no to such offers. Having two 1st round picks for the next four years could completely change the landscape of a franchise.

At the same time, it becomes more dangerous. You’ll have general managers and head coaches on the hot seat, desperate to save their jobs. What is to stop them from mortgaging the future of a franchise just to save their own skins? It would be the Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy situation in 2021 dialed up to 11. Also, don’t forget the salary cap implications. Such massive trades would deplete a team’s ability to maintain a healthy payroll with a steady influx of young, cheap talent. It would be the highest of high-stakes gambling.

Strong ownership would become even more important.

With no specified details on whether such a rule would include provisions, it means every team must have an ownership-conscious enough to keep a careful eye on their front office. Otherwise, you’ll see somebody going rogue, like what happened last year in Atlanta with Terry Fontenot trading up for James Pearce. Not only is the player, who had major character concerns, likely going to jail, but the Falcons are out their 1st round pick this year because Fontenot was desperate to save his job. Imagine what he might’ve done with access to more future 1st rounders.

This creates a tough situation for the Chicago Bears. George McCaskey has never been known for being a hands-on owner. He freely allowed Pace and Nagy to trade up for Justin Fields five years ago, which ultimately set the franchise back for years. Would he be willing to keep tabs on what Ryan Poles does regarding major trade decisions? That is difficult to answer.

Nobody would debate the fact that Myles Garrett is the best pass rusher in the NFL. He now has the single-season sack record to prove it. Right behind him is likely Micah Parsons, recently acquired by Green Bay from Dallas and finishing the season with 12.5 sacks despite missing multiple games with a torn ACL. So it was quite a moment when the two got together on Parsons’ “The Edge” podcast to discuss various topics. Let’s just say it was an eventful episode.

Garrett checked the host at every opportunity, stating that Cowboys fans no longer love him, the sack record will be his until Parsons proves he can break it, reminded him that his 12.5 sacks in 13 games wasn’t quite his 18 sacks, and made sure to point out that Cleveland beat Green Bay when the Packers were healthy.

However, Garrett’s best jab came when the discussion shifted to Green Bay’s losses against Chicago in December and January. As Parsons tried to defend the Packers despite their collapse in the playoffs, Garrett hit him with Caleb Williams‘ “Iceman” celebration. Parsons’ reaction told the whole story.

It’s easy to see that Micah Parsons is jealous of Williams.

You can see all over his face that he wishes that nickname and playoff glory belonged to him. It was the entire reason Parsons forced his way out of Dallas. He wanted to join a team that would help him win in the playoffs. Having to watch Williams rip the Packers’ hearts out on national TV not once but twice was undoubtedly torture. That should’ve been his moment. Now he knows every time Williams does something big against the Packers in the future, he’ll have to see that celebration over and over.

In a twist of irony, it’s quite similar to Aaron Rodgers’ famous championship belt celebration.

No doubt Micah Parsons is eager to return from his injury and right the wrongs of this past season. One precious year of that Super Bowl window was already wasted. The NFC North isn’t getting any easier. Chicago is ascending. Minnesota and Detroit aren’t going anywhere. Parsons needs to shake the demons of his past before it’s too late. The problem is that there is a really good quarterback standing in his way. Williams already proved that he could play well against Parsons. He’ll be eager to do so again.

The Bears have a decision to make with Parsons in mind.

They aren’t naive. The star pass rusher gave them fits in the first meeting two months ago. Finding ways to block him is a top priority if they want to maintain an edge on the Packers. That means addressing the problematic left tackle position. Chicago thought they had an answer in Ozzy Trapilo. He was really playing well down the stretch before his knee injury. Now his status for next season is uncertain, and the Bears don’t have anybody to replace him. That is why there is rampant speculation that the team may go after a tackle with their 25th pick in the 1st round. They will be asking a simple question during the evaluation process.

Can this guy block Micah Parsons?

If the answer is no, don’t bother having any further discussions. Anybody who is classified as a “maybe” will be in the debate. Names like Kadyn Proctor, Caleb Lomu, Monroe Freeling, and Max Iheanachor will become familiar over the next two months. There is a strong possibility one of them will hear their name called when the Bears go on the clock. Safeguarding Williams against Parsons and other remains the priority.