5 Key Takeaways From Caleb Williams' Appearance on Maxx Crosby's Podcast

Caleb Williams put on his recruiter hat yesterday afternoon. He joined Maxx Crosby's podcast, The Rush, for his first sit-down interview since the Bears' season ended.

Williams and Crosby covered a range of topics, including their Week 4 matchup, qualities that make both players great, the second-year QB's affinity for making heart-stopping plays, and Crosby's ability to take over a game.

The meeting was an absolute gold mine for football-hungry fans looking for content (even if you aren't a Raiders or Bears fan. What were some of the key takeaways from the sit-down?

There is a TON of mutual respect between Caleb Williams and Maxx Crosby.

This one was evident throughout the entire interview. First off, Williams praised Crosby for dominating Chicago's offense (and making a ridiculous interception) in their Week 4 matchup.

Maxx Crosby is UNREAL 🤯

Tipped the ball to himself and picked it off

(via: @NFL)pic.twitter.com/A5bhAzWL3I
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) September 28, 2025

Crosby also gave Williams a glowing review before closing the interview.

Just to be open and honest, bro, like we talked about earlier, but respect at a different level. You’re one of those guys for sure and you’re just getting started. I don’t even know you understand yet how good you can be and that’s the scariest part.
Maxx Crosby on Caleb Williams

I know any trade talk surrounding Crosby is strictly speculation at this point, but they sounded a lot like two people who would be happy to be teammates. Who knows, Williams could've brought that hypothetical off when the cameras weren't rolling. The Bears need a pass-rusher, and there have been semi-consistent reports surfacing that Crosby wants out of Vegas, after all.

Both players are EXTREME competitors.

Iron sharpens iron. That philosophy is partially why there is so much mutual respect between Crosby and Williams, and partially the reason the podcast occurred to begin with.

Williams and Crosby both shared their propensity for making "Superman"-level plays every week. They both clearly hold themselves to an extremely high standard.

Caleb Williams and Maxx Crosby both talk about how their games are similar, especially their shared mindset.

They believe they can make the “Superman”-type play when their team needs it most.pic.twitter.com/579AMd2cjt
— Dave (@davebfr) February 17, 2026

Notably, both players also mentioned their strict training regimens. Crosby said he's had a handful of teammates bail out of practicing with him because he can't keep up. Williams mentioned that he is already itching to get back to the swing of things after only a month gone from the Divisional Round loss.

Notably, contrary to popular belief (at least according to players when asked about their upcoming matchups), Williams also confirmed that he does, in fact, get fired up by going up against an elite quarterback on the other side. He also credited his competitive drive as a major reason why he can lock in during the fourth quarter in gotta-have-it moments.

Ben Johnson is also a stone cold killer.

Ben Johnson sure doesn't try to hide anything when it comes to sideline interviews, or Mic'd Up clips, or anytime the camera pans to him. He really is exactly who he seems to be, and that includes the momentary exhilaration through his postgame locker room speeches.

He said that Johnson has the player's mindset and wants to step on every defense's throat. He wants to put up 50 points on every defense every week. Of course, many coaches would welcome a blowout win, but it's another thing to exude that type of energy. Johnson clearly does.

He also mentioned that Johnson is 'like a mad scientist that doesn't speak what he's thinking' and that he would crack jokes, but players wouldn't know they were jokes because he's all about business. The man just loves to win football games, and the more demoralizing the better.

Williams thinks Joe Thuney has entered the GOAT conversation.

Williams might not have dove deep into a Joe Thuney monologue, but that wasn't necessary to get his point across. He thinks Thuney has already reached GOAT territory (among offensive guards) in NFL history.

While some of his praise is certainly because he's teammates with Thuney, his praise really isn't all that crazy when you think about it. The man is a certified winner. He may only be one man among five starting linemen, but he consistently makes any line that he's a member of better.

The NFL's inaugural Protector of the Year has helped four of his squads win Super Bowls. He has held his own against the toughest competition in the biggest moments more than anyone. If he can sustain this level of play for another two seasons and win another Super Bowl in the Windy City, then he will have a real claim to the top guard of all time title.

Oh, he also shares a birthday with Caleb Williams. It really always was meant to be.

Williams' iconic game-saving conversion to Cole Kmet was seemingly just another play to him

Listening to Williams give an in-depth breakdown of his iconic lob to send the Divisional Round matchup against the Rams to overtime was arguably the best part of the podcast.

He said that he was initially expecting to scramble out of the pocket, but the Rams' defensive line did a great job of containing him. He also said their coverage unit did a great job on the back end. So basically, the play was dead from the start, and then it became really dead in the middle (approximately when Williams said Ben Johnson put his head down in disbelief), and then Superman (or the ICEMAN) put his cape on.

He mentioned liking 6'6" Cole Kmet's matchup against 5'11" Cobie Durant, and he just wanted to give him a back corner end zone ball to let him run under it. He also said he knew it was a touchdown the moment it left his hand.

It may have been an all-timer, but he explained it like it was just any other broken play.

Caleb Williams says Ben Johnson was pretty upset at first about his wild TD against the Rams.

Caleb then broke down his thought process during the play.

Even Maxx Crosby couldn’t believe it. pic.twitter.com/KAlqzoHUKP
— Dave (@davebfr) February 17, 2026