Bear Digest

ESPN raises bizarre Caleb Williams question ahead of Chicago Bears' 2025 season

ESPN is already rushing to judgment about Caleb Williams' career with the Chicago Bears.
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Life comes at you fast in the NFL. It's even faster for quarterbacks who are selected with the first overall pick, and it moves at lightspeed for Chicago Bears quarterbacks.

For Caleb Williams, the questions surrounding the 2024 first-overall pick entering his second season have gone from fair to bizarre, including a recent breakdown by ESPN's Dan Graziano, who posed one question facing all 32 starters entering the 2025 season.

For Williams and the Bears, Graziano wonders if 2025 is a do-or-die season for the most important QB in Chicago's history.

Graziano admits the answer is no, we aren't technically entering a do-or-die season, but he didn't rule out an extreme souring of the relationship if this year doesn't go according to plan.

"But it's also fair to say the honeymoon period was very short and is officially over," Graziano wrote. "Once it came out publicly that he didn't want to play for the Bears at the start of the draft process, it was clear that the fan base won't stay patient with him if he doesn't seem to be getting it. A seemingly loaded offense with an improved offensive line under new coach Ben Johnson means Williams should have more than enough around him to succeed sooner rather than later."

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Unfortunately, Graziano misses the mark. Bears fans don't care about Williams' pre-draft stance. In fact, most Bears fans understand and appreciate Williams' knowledge of Chicago's QB history. Why would any quarterback want to play for a team whose history at the game's most important position is headlined by organizational failure?

Chicago Bears fans appreciate Williams' honesty and candor. They also appreciate the fact that he didn't shy away from his comments or let the team's PR department deal with it. Instead, Williams met with the media, told the truth about his thought process during the run-up to the 2024 draft, and earned more respect from the fanbase.

The Bears, and their fans, will be patient with Williams. The 2025 season is not a do-or-die campaign. Let's face it: there's no other choice. If Caleb Williams fails, the organization will be set back for another decade. Chicago will do whatever it takes to make Williams succeed, even if it takes a little more time than anyone would like.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) warms up during minicamp
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.