2025 NFL Free Agency: Do the Chicago Bears need a veteran backup quarterback?

Before the Chicago Bears even drafted Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, many analysts and fans wanted to see a veteran quarterback brought in to help mentor the young rookie. Ultimately, the Bears did not go that route, and the results were something of a mixed bag.

Williams did not hit the high expectations that were laid on him, but that had more to do with the chaos surrounding the coaching staff than anything he could control.

Heading into 2025, the cry for a mentor for the 23-year-old Williams is back. Should the Bears finally heed this call and bring in a signal-caller?

Chicago Bears' options for a veteran backup QB are limited

When you remove Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, players who are certainly not going to sign on with a team to be a backup, the cupboard of free-agent quarterbacks with experience worth sharing is rather bare.

Joe Flacco, the semi-retired, one-time Super Bowl MVP, and Jameis Winston, a former first-overall pick, would be good options. Carson Wentz would be another experienced veteran to call on.

That's about where the list ends. And even within this list, there's not a whole lot of consistent success aside from Flacco. It's unclear what exactly Williams could learn from them that he couldn't learn from quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett at practice.

'Need' is a strong word

Do the Bears need a veteran quarterback on the roster? I don't think the success of Caleb Williams' career hangs on whether or not there's an older quarterback in the locker room. In that sense, no, the Bears do not need to sign a veteran.

Would it help? Maybe. If a good opportunity presents itself, it probably wouldn't hurt to have a guy who can share his experience with Williams. But is someone who serves strictly as a mentor worth a roster spot? That's for head coach Ben Johnson and GM Ryan Poles to decide.

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