Bears' Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams Get Big Ranking as Contract Pressure Builds

Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams earned a top-10 NFL duo ranking, but the Bears quarterback still faces major pressure to prove he's worth a massive extension.

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams. | David Banks-Imagn Images

Big things are expected from the Chicago Bears ahead of the 2026 season.

One reason for that is the fact that the team finished 11-6, won the NFC North and a playoff game in 2025. But another reason is the impressive duo Chicago has at head coach and quarterback.

Ben Johnson once again showed why he's one of the most respected offensive minds in the NFL. In fact, there is so much hype that some around the league already have him pegged to become one of the greatest coaches in league history.

"I had a coach that's worked with him say to me in Indy when we were sitting there, and he said this so matter of factly, it was kind of jarring to me. And (the coach) goes, 'Yeah, he's going to be one of the greatest coaches of all time,'" The Athletic's Robert Mays said.

And Johnson's genius no doubt rubbed off on Caleb Williams, who took a clear step forward in his second season and provided the catalyst Chicago needed to return to the playoffs following a drought that lasted four years.

Our optimism for Johnson and Williams in 2026 is met by Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame, who has the pair ranked as the No. 9 quarterback/head coach duo in the NFL.

"The coupling of Johnson and Williams has proven dynamic," he said. "Johnson schemed up the rushing attack between veteran D’Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai, helping the Bears check in third with 144.5 yards per game. Then there’s Williams, who threw for 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns while engineering a league-high six fourth-quarter comebacks."

"With Johnson and Williams entering their second season together, and with an offense loaded with stars, including tight end Colston Loveland and wideout Rome Odunze, there’s no limit on what can be accomplished," Verderame added.

A huge year for Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

There are so many reasons why Williams is going to have a ton of extra pressure on him in 2026. For starters, as we already pointed out, expectations for the Bears as a team are sky-high after what we saw last season.

But there are a few contract reasons, also.

Chicago will have to make a decision on his fifth-year option in 2027, but we'd expect them to pick that up barring a total and complete disaster from the USC product.

The more unsure thing is Williams earning a contract extension, which general manager Ryan Poles has said the team is still waiting for the green light on based on Williams' play.

"It's good to almost feel like you've got it," Poles said. "If you go with a traffic light, it went red as a rookie to yellow. You can creep forward a little bit and start having some of these conversations to anticipate it. But we need him to give us a green light. I think we'll find out this year about his progress."

Simply repeating what he did last season won't be enough for the young quarterback to prove he's worthy of what will likely be a record-setting deal. Williams is going to have to show some progress.

The good news for him is he has one of the best offensive minds in the NFL guiding him, so Williams has a better chance than most to accomplish that goal.