Caleb Williams' Breakout Season Earns Him a Prestigious Honor

There's no doubt about it. Caleb Williams has established himself as the Chicago's franchise quarterback.

Nov 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) celebrates after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Pigs can now fly, and hell has frozen over. After decades of futility at the quarterback position, the Bears have finally found someone who looks more than capable of breaking the QB curse in Caleb Williams.

Williams might've fallen just short of the all-elusive 4000-yard mark, but there's no denying the strides he made in his second year at the helm. He set a franchise record with 3,942 passing yards and threw for 27 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. He also displayed an innate ability to make plays when the team needed it most, earning the nickname "Iceman" for his clutch play late in games.

More recently, Williams also earned the honor of being recognized as the team's Offensive Player of the Year by ChicagoBears.com.

QB Caleb Williams is Bears Offensive Player of the Year. Read all about it:https://t.co/Wf0eg0Uk0S

— Larry Mayer (@LarryMayer) January 28, 2026

It might not be an award recognized by the NFL or listed on his Wikipedia page (although those appear to be on the horizon, if his play this year is any indication), but it's an honor nonetheless. And one that he undoubtedly deserves.

The team had an immeasurable amount of belief in Williams, and that was for good reason. The second-year quarterback had a knack for making the miraculous look routine. He made a handful of plays this year that rivaled only one player in the NFL, and that one player is widely considered the best in the league. It's no longer hyperbolic to say that's Williams' ceiling.

One of the best indicators of an elite athlete (in any sport) is how well they play in crunch time. That's what separates the great players from the truly special ones. When you consider that Williams set an NFL record for the most fourth-quarter comebacks in a single season (seven) for a quarterback under the age of 25, early signs certainly indicate that he belongs in the latter category.

The fact that two of those wins came against the Packers? Icing on the cake. The fact that the most recent one came in the playoffs? The cherry on top.

Williams hasn't missed a start through two seasons, and he cut his sack numbers down from 68 as a rookie to only 24 this season. It was a remarkable one-year turnaround for what was one of the most concerning areas of his game as a rookie.

The second-year quarterback proved a lot of doubters wrong this season, and he truly hasn't even begun to scratch the surface of how good he can be. He accomplished all that he did this year, even though he was in the first year of Ben Johnson's offense, after all.

I don't think he'll be content with the ChicagoBears.com Offensive Player of the Year Award. A well-deserved honor, but he's got his sights set on much more. The best is yet to come for the innate playmaker.

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