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.

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.

Trading D.J. Moore wasn’t what the Chicago Bears wanted to do. It was merely a necessity of the team’s financial situation. They felt unloading the veteran receiver, while painful, was the least devastating blow they could take. While the team still has an assortment of exciting offensive weapons, head coach Ben Johnson knew they would have to replace Moore. The question was how. Ultimately, he pushed general manager Ryan Poles to bring in veteran Kalif Raymond, whom Johnson had worked with for years in Detroit.

Most figured this was a solid depth move. Johnson wanted somebody he could trust in the lineup. Except things are never that cut-and-dry with the Bears’ head coach. He had a very specific reason for targeting Raymond over other options. He revealed it to Gabby Hadjuk of Chicagobears.com. It isn’t a secret that Johnson wasn’t happy with how the receivers performed last season, specifically as route runners. He knew that Raymond operated at top speed at all times, setting an example for everybody else.

“You wouldn’t know looking at him right now that he’s 31, going on 32,” Johnson said. “He has this vertical push to his game where he comes raging off the football, and if you’re a DB you can’t help but back up and that carries over with all the routes that he runs. I think it’s been really good for our young route runners to see because it’s really what we want to see across the board. He’s been exactly what we hoped for when he came into the building. It’s as good as I’ve seen him in the spring, based on my time with him over the last five years.”

Kalif Raymond is an upgrade over Moore.

Before people grab their pitchforks, this is in reference to a specific stat. Yards Per Route Run (YPRR) is one of the best advanced metrics available for determining which receivers are the most efficient. It takes away muddying factors like quarterback play and passing volume. Raymond had a YPRR score of 1.33 last season. That was better than Jerry Jeudy, Tre Tucker, Darnell Mooney, Xavier Worthy, and yes, D.J. Moore. The former Bears receiver had a YPRR score of just 1.21, confirming what many had felt about him last season. His routes were often too sloppy and inefficient.

Keep in mind that Raymond’s score was 1.68 in 2024, his last season with Johnson calling plays in Detroit. He has proven to be a much better receiver in this offense. Last year was an unfortunate side effect of playing in a poor scheme that was crowded with other players soaking up targets like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, and Jahmyr Gibbs. With Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus out of the way in Chicago, there is a strong possibility that Kalif Raymond gets a heavier workload.

The Bears don’t need him to be the star.

That is not his role. Johnson wanted a veteran presence after losing Moore. Raymond is about as good as you can ask for in that regard. He’s widely celebrated as a teammate and locker room leader. The way he approaches the game is as dedicated and professional as it gets. If that rubs off on young guys like Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and Zavion Thomas, the signing will have been a success. Anything beyond that from a statistical standpoint will be icing on the cake.

Give Coach Johnson credit. He knew what the team needed after last season. While the coaches can be expected to work on the route-running issues, he wanted somebody who’d help illustrate their desires through action on the field. Raymond was the perfect solution: experienced, knowledgeable of the system, and cheap. Given how Johnson loves to distribute the football, you can bet the receiver will be rewarded with a solid chunk of targets compared to the pittance he got last season.

Anybody with half a brain knows the Chicago Bears would never trade Caleb Williams. Not for all the gold in Fort Knox. He represents the first legitimate franchise-caliber quarterback the organization has had in decades. Nobody in their right mind would have the guts to do something like that. It would be tantamount to committing career suicide. Still, it’s at least an interesting discussion. If, for some reason, the Bears were to entertain the idea of trading Williams, how much would it actually cost?

Bill Barnwell of ESPN decided to find out. Based on his estimates from previous deals and leaguewide views on Williams, he reached a pretty stark conclusion.

“Four first-round picks: QB Caleb Williams. There’s still a fair amount of projection to be done with Williams, who had the worst completion percentage over expectation of any regular quarterback in 2025, per Next Gen Stats. The playoff game against the Rams might be the best example of how easy it is to draw multiple perspectives on Williams, given that he threw three interceptions and still electrified Bears fans with a game-tying drive at the end of regulation.”

To date, only two quarterbacks have been traded for three 1st round picks in NFL history. One was Deshaun Watson and the other was Russell Wilson. Four would be the new record. It sounds insane, especially after how poorly those two other trades worked out. However, the NFL is a quarterback league. You’d have to think somebody would summon up the courage to pull the trigger.

So who?

Finding a taker for that Caleb Williams price comes down to key factors.

The first and most obvious is need. It has to be a team with a glaring hole at the quarterback position. For whatever reason, they find themselves with no clear solution. They feel they need a franchise-caliber guy. Next, you must find a front office with a reputation for being at least somewhat aggressive. This might be helped by the possibility that they’re under pressure to win after a few disappointing seasons. A similar situation with Ryan Pace in 2021. Lastly, there is the ownership. As we’ve seen with Dave Tepper and Jimmy Haslam, few things drive blockbuster moves like this more than an involved owner.

After looking over the current state of the league, five teams met at least two of the three criteria mentioned above. Two of those five met all three.

Any one of those teams would at least place phone calls to the Bears about Caleb Williams. They might at least discuss the idea of giving up four 1st round picks. However, it is likely that most will get cold feet. Such is not the case with Cleveland and Indianapolis.

Both of those teams sit in the perfect storm.

The Colts are at the tail end of the failed Anthony Richardson experiment. Their best option at quarterback is Daniel Jones, who tore his Achilles last season. General manager Chris Ballard is under a ton of pressure as the guy who drafted Richardson in the first place. We already know he’s not afraid to be aggressive, as his big trades for DeForest Buckner and Sauce Gardner show. New owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon is already known for being hands-on with the team, often listening in on coaching broadcasts from the sideline.

As for Cleveland, they’ve already shown a willingness to swing big on quarterbacks before. See the Deshaun Watson trade. Nothing has changed since then. They still badly need a quarterback. GM Andrew Berry was the one who greenlit the Watson trade a few years ago, and owner Jimmy Haslam was the one who pushed for it. You’d think they might get gun-shy about trying it again after how bad the Watson thing went, but every attempt to find the right guy has flopped. Maybe a second swing does it.

Thankfully, Bears fans won’t have to worry about this scenario becoming a reality.

The Maxx Crosby drama earlier this year was a fascinating tale that would’ve entranced award-winning scriptwriters. A star pass rusher who’d given his body and soul to a terrible organization for almost a decade accepts that they’re entering another rebuild. Trade chatter builds rapidly. Several teams, including the Chicago Bears, get involved. Haggling gets heated. Various media outlets fire off rumors left and right. Finally, when the dust settles, the Baltimore Ravens win the race by offering two 1st round picks.

Less than a week later, Crosby fails a physical, and the trade is rescinded. Everybody knows the Ravens did it because they lost too many free agents and believed they could sign pass rusher Trey Hendrickson while keeping their picks. It was scummy, but impossible to prevent. Crosby went back to the Raiders, where he announced his intent to stay moving forward. Most people thought that was the end of it.

League insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk isn’t buying it. He believes that if the Raiders get off to another rough start this season, which is likely in such a loaded division, Crosby’s stance will shift rapidly.

Would the Bears consider another Maxx Crosby attempt?

That may depend on circumstances. Obviously, the first is his being available. Another is whether the Bears consider themselves in a strong enough position, record-wise, to take such a big swing. While two 1st round pick won’t be the price tag at the trade deadline, it will still be high. Probably at least one 1st. If the Bears are struggling, they won’t want to pay that. Acquiring Crosby also means Poles would have to do some creative bookkeeping to fit that contract onto the payroll.

Lastly, what is the state of both his production and the Bears’ pass rush? If Maxx Crosby looks like he’s not having a season up to his usual standards, there is no way Chicago would give up significant draft capital. On the flip side, if a combination of Montez Sweat and Austin Booker performs well together through those first two months of the season, the Bears may not feel the need to take such a big swing. There are so many factors involved in this decision.

To this point, the answer to this question is clear.

Unless the price tag falls below a 1st round pick, don’t expect the Bears to pull the trigger. Poles has been pretty steadfast with that as his red line in trades over the past few years. He’s never flipped a 1st rounder for any veteran player. The highest he’s ever gone is a 2nd round pick. Now, he might be willing to go a bit higher for Crosby, but this is a general manager who prefers to build through the draft. Unless he’s 100% certain that said trade will catapult the Bears into Super Bowl contention, he won’t do it.

If this were a few years ago, when Crosby was squarely in his prime, he might consider it. However, the former Pro Bowl is approaching his 30s and coming off a serious knee injury. He will likely remain productive for at least another year, but beyond that, it is difficult to tell. The Bears will certainly place phone calls, gauging what the price tag is. Unless it’s multiple day two picks or lower, don’t get the hopes up too high. This team remains focused on consistent contention beyond 2026.

The Chicago Bears knew they didn’t have much money to spend in free agency this year. That means general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson would have to be careful with their one or two big swings. While many hypothesized that they would focus on finding a pass rusher or maybe a left tackle, the team pulled a slight surprise. Their biggest addition was actually Coby Bryant, a safety from the world champion Seattle Seahawks. It was an unconventional move. Teams don’t usually save their biggest swings for that position.

However, it did make sense. The Bears lost both of their starters, Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, to free agency. C.J. Gardner-Johnson also left. They had nobody on the roster ready to take over. Signing Bryant solved part of that problem. However, it wasn’t just about that. The team genuinely felt they were getting a highly capable player with the versatility that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen craved. Though he hasn’t played a down yet, it already looks like a strong addition.

That was made clear by ESPN’s top 10 safety rankings. While Bryant didn’t make the main list, he did receive an honorable mention.

Coby Bryant, Chicago Bears: “I love him. He’s a corner by trade, so he has good feet and ball skills, but he will hit, too, now.” — NFL coordinator

Coby Bryant clearly has the respect of the league.

That is what matters. We already knew the Seahawks badly wanted to retain him, knowing what he’d meant to their Super Bowl-winning defense. As is often the case, they just couldn’t find the money. Chicago took advantage. Now he and 1st round pick Dillon Thieneman form what might be the most talented safety tandem the Bears have fielded in decades. Both of them are capable of doing almost anything on the field. Drop into deep coverage. Play man-to-man against tight ends. Slide up to the line of scrimmage as an extra run defender.

Having one safety who can do that is great for any defense. Having two? That is incredibly valuable. Bryant’s intelligence alone is worth the price. He always seems to know where to be in key situations, either making a big tackle or taking the ball away. It forces offenses to always account for where he is, making life easier for teammates. He may not be the multiplier that a great pass rusher or cornerback would be, but Coby Bryant makes this defense better in several ways.

His impact will be heavily determined up front.

Despite obvious skill in several areas, safeties are always at the mercy of the front four. The more pressure they can apply on the quarterback, the more plays Bryant can make. That is why he was so effective in Seattle. Thankfully, Allen is similar in some ways to Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald. He’s particularly effective at manufacturing pressure through creative blitz packages and exotic coverage. It was why Byard had such a great season in 2025. There is no reason to think Bryant can’t benefit as well.

All of this serves as confirmation that Poles and Johnson continue doing a good job of accumulating high-end talent on the roster. The offense had four players who cracked ESPN’s top 10 lists. The defense hasn’t been as well-represented, but they still have guys getting some love. Hopes are high that maybe Austin Booker, Kyler Gordon, and some other young bucks can rise to join him.

There was never any mistaking it. For the past 15 years, the Chicago Bears were at the mercy of the Green Bay Packers. It was painfully apparent that a massive gulf existed between the two franchises, in large part thanks to a disparity at the two most important positions: quarterback and head coach. Green Bay had Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy, Jordan Love, and Matt LaFleur. Chicago had Jay Cutler, Marc Trestman, Mitch Trubisky, John Fox, Justin Fields, Matt Nagy, and Matt Eberflus. It was never a fair fight.

Then, ever so suddenly, the winds shifted. Caleb Williams arrived at quarterback in 2024, leading the Bears to their first victory over the Packers in five years at Lambeau Field. Then, a few weeks after that, Ben Johnson was hired as the team’s new head coach. To the shock of all, Chicago would topple Green Bay in two of their next three meetings in the 2025 season, capped by a wild comeback in the opening round of the playoffs. For those who’d witnessed this “rivalry” for so many years, it was difficult to fathom.

In fact, some in the Green Bay media refuse to accept there’s been any change in the status quo.

Packers supporters still think they’re in the Chicago Bears’ heads.

This point was hammered home on the ESPN Milwaukee program Kyle And Brust. They believe the Bears have a weird obsession with Green Bay, proving the Packers are still in their heads. It is ridiculous. Meanwhile, the Packers are more focused on bigger things, like winning a Super Bowl. One would think the rest of the Wisconsin media would be in lockstep on this point. That is not the case. In fact, a fellow ESPN outlet in Madison, Molly & Jim, vehemently disagrees with this idea that the Packers are in the Bears’ heads.

That argument went straight out the window after Green Bay lost three of the past four games against them. All three by late-game collapses.

This is an inescapable point. The fact that Green Bay media reacted to that Colston Loveland video at all tells you everything. The Packers fans never used to take the rivalry seriously because they knew their team would always win on Sundays. Once that changed, their obsession took over. They couldn’t accept the possibility that Chicago had flipped the script. It isn’t supposed to be this way. Many are unwilling to see the reality.

The Bears’ secret isn’t hard to understand.

They finally got two guys at the top who took the rivalry seriously from the beginning. One of the core issues of the past 15 years was that none of the Chicago Bears’ quarterbacks or head coaches viewed the rivalry as anything special. Sure, there was tons of history to it, but you often found them uttering the same things when asked about it.

“It’s an important game, but no more important than the others on the schedule.”

That merely proved they didn’t understand. Green Bay and Chicago have always stood in each other’s way throughout NFL history. Neither has won a Super Bowl without beating the other twice in a season. George Halas himself recognized he’d have to beat them twice in 1963 to reach the championship game. With the arrivals of Williams and Johnson, you suddenly found two fierce competitors who understood how seriously everybody took the rivalry. They adopted the same mentality.

Every matchup must be treated like high noon on an old western street. Kill or be killed. Green Bay finally had their undivided attention. Now they’re mistaking that for weakness.