Jaylon Johnson's Praise for Caleb Williams Includes Bad Look for Justin Fields

Jaylon Johnson said Nick Foles, not Justin Fields, was the best Bears quarterback during his time in Chicago before Caleb Williams.

Former Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson thinks Nick Foles, and not Justin Fields, was the best quarterback he had played against in practice before Caleb Williams came to town.

Johnson was addressing the media on Saturday after practice and heaped praise on quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears' offense following the first week of training camp.

In his praise, he said the current group is the best one he has seen in Chicago in his seven years in the NFL. The interesting part of his comment came when he said Williams is the best signal-caller he has seen in Chicago since Nick Foles, not Fields.

“Honestly, this is probably the best offense I had in seven years, as far as like going against them for sure," Johnson said. "Caleb’s really the best quarterback I’ve had, again, since maybe Nick Foles, if you want to go back that far."

Foles spent two seasons in Chicago and was on the back-nine of his career at that point. He compiled a 3-5 record as a starter and completed 65.1% of his passes for 2,102 yards and 11 touchdowns to eight picks in that span.

Definitely not prime Foles, which is why Johnson's response isn't a great look for Fields.

Fields took the reins from Foles in 2021 and showed flashes of brilliance in what was an up-and-down tenure overall. The Bears decided to end the Fields experiment in 2024 and traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers to make room for Williams, which didn't exactly sit well with the Bears fans who wanted to keep Fields.

We don't think there's any ill intentions behind Johnson's answer, but it is definitely another prime example of why Chicago had to move on from Fields for Williams, which was always a no-brainer.

And that has been cemented by the downward spiral Fields' career has seen since his departure from Chicago.

Jaylon Johnson isn't wrong about Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Putting the Fields-Foles debate aside, when it comes to the main point about Williams being the best quarterback in Chicago in years, Johnson isn't wrong.

Williams showed that last season, when he led the Bears to their first playoff appearance since 2020, first division title since 2018, and first postseason victory since 2010.

And, minus a few picks and one shaky practice on Saturday, Williams has looked very sharp in training camp thus far, and so much so that a bet on him ascending in 2026 isn't a bad one.

But the Bears aren't counting their chickens before they hatch. Even general manager Ryan Poles admitted the team needs to see some more out of Williams this season before it can commit a big contract extension to the young signal-caller.

"It's good to almost feel like you've got it," Poles said of Williams earlier this offseason. "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 those conversations to anticipate (a new deal). But we need him to give us a green light. I think we'll find out this year about his progress."

Despite his 2025 success, Williams would be the first to admit he has to improve this coming season, and he looks well on his way to doing so in the early stages of training camp.