Bear Digest

Bears' Caleb Williams dominates fan voting for 2026 Pro Bowl

A year ago, he was seen as another bust. Now Caleb Williams is a top vote-getter for the NFL's Pro Bowl.
Pete Martuneac|
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

It's been an incredible week for the starting quarterback of the Chicago Bears. On Saturday night, Caleb Williams authored a sensational comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers and became the first QB in 2025 to earn a perfect grade on his game-winning touchdown pass in overtime from Pro Football Focus. The next day, a stunning Pittsburgh Steelers' victory over the Detroit Lions officially punched the Bears' playoff ticket.

You'd think Williams' weekend couldn't get any better, but it just did. With the NFL set to unveil the rosters for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games tomorrow, they have first given us a sneak peek at who led in the Pro Bowl fan voting, and Williams came in fourth overall in fan voting (216,838 votes), and the most of any NFC quarterback.

Caleb Williams is already stacking accolades in the first year of the Ben Johnson era

Fan voting is just one-third of the process to determine Pro Bowl rosters. Players and coaches also get their say, and they voted last Thursday. But by dominating the fan voting portion, it seems a safe bet that Williams will earn his first Pro Bowl nod this year and could very well represent the NFC as the top quarterback at the Pro Bowl games.

This would be a huge win for Williams and the Bears, and indeed the entire fan base. Chicago has not seen a Pro Bowl quarterback since Mitch Trubisky in 2018, and it was obvious to most fans that he was just a guy. Trubisky made the Pro Bowl as an alternate, thanks in large part to a dominant Bears defense.

But Williams, along with head coach Ben Johnson, has been the catalyst for this renaissance in Bears football. The Bears are winning games because of Williams, not despite him. He's on pace to rewrite the Bears' single-season passing records, and he's only 24 years old. Not a fluke, this nomination to the Pro Bowl feels like the first of what will be many in the years to come.

Caleb William
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Teammates will keep Williams company at Pro Bowl

What's more, if the trends from fan voting hold, Williams will be joined by several teammates. The Chicago Bears earned more fan votes than any other team, and Kevin Byard III finished in fifth overall with 203,638 votes. Several other Bears did not crack the Top 5 overall voting but did earn the most votes for their position in the NFC.

If there are any doubters still out there, expecting the same ol' Bears to show up any day now, don't hold your breath. Clinching a playoff berth in Week 16 and potentially dominating the Pro Bowl roster should be proof enough that these Bears are not your father's Bears.

Caleb William
David Banks-Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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