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49ers' head coach Kyle Shanahan is a big fan of Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams has put the NFL on notice with his play. Kyle Shanahan has certainly been paying attention.
Jerry Markarian|
Dec 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan leaves the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Dec 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan leaves the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Caleb Williams' stats might not jump off the screen, but he always seems to play his best when the spotlight is at its brightest. All signs point to him being the franchise quarterback Chicago has been yearning for.

Williams has thrown two touchdowns in three straight games, and he will hope to do the same in Sunday night's matchup against San Francisco. The game has massive playoff implications for both teams, as they both sit at 11-4 and are well within reach of the top seed in the NFC.

The game looks sure to be an offensive shootout, as the 49ers have one of the most explosive offenses in the league. They also have one of the league's most innovative offensive playcallers, Kyle Shanahan, running the show.

Shanahan's opinion should not be taken lightly. He made it clear how highly he thinks of Williams when speaking to reporters yesterday.

Could Shanahan just be hyping up an opponent? Sure. That happens every week across the league.

He could've used much less expressive adjectives if he were simply performing coach speak. There's a reason why he gave him his flowers.

Williams was the number one pick of last year's draft for a reason. He's starting to live up to the hype.

The most recent pass the second-year signal-caller threw was a 46-yard dagger through the heart of Chicago's hated division rival. The pass was on the money from 55 yards through the air with the wind off of Lake Michigan swirling. Simply put, it was one of the best passes of the season.

In fact, according to the Pro Football Focus grading scale, it was one of the best throws in recent history.

The numbers also support his claim that Williams is an elite athlete. While he didn't turn on the nitrous too often last season, his speed on the perimeter has been on full display this season.

49ers' defensive coordinator Robert Saleh echoed a similar sentiment to Shanahan when speaking about Williams' playmaking ability.

"His arm talent is elite," Saleh said. "He can rip the ball and make every throw. It feels like when he starts scrambling, he gets more accurate. He's improved tremendously from a year ago."

Williams hasn't received as much hype as his fellow second-year QB Drake Maye has this season, or Jayden Daniels did last season. However, he's proving, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was well worth the first overall pick.

The scariest part of the equation for opposing defenses is that Williams isn't even close to his ceiling. The sky is the limit for how far he can go from here.

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Jerry Markarian
JERRY MARKARIAN

Jerry Markarian has been an avid Chicago Bears fan since 2010 and has been writing about the team since 2022. He has survived the 2010 NFC Championship Game, a career-ending injury to his favorite player (Johnny Knox), the Bears' 2013 season finale, a Double Doink, Mitchell Trubisky, Justin Fields, and Weeks 8-17 of the 2024 NFL season. Nevertheless, he still Bears Down!

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