ESPN Reporter Predicts Meteoric Rise For Caleb Williams in 2026

Caleb Williams proved a lot of doubters wrong this season. He set a Bears franchise record for passing yards (3942 yards) to go along with 27 passing touchdowns and only 7 interceptions. He also added 388 yards and three scores on the ground.

Notably, he also led the team to their first playoff win in 15 years and set an NFL record for the most comeback victories (7) for a QB under the age of 25 in a single season. The Bears were must-see TV every week, and Williams was a major reason why that was the case. It may have done some damage to the cardiovascular systems of the Windy City hopefuls, but it made for one helluva legacy jumpstarter.

The ICEMAN was born.

I know he was the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but a lot of that shine was dimmed after a tumultuous (at least from a record and efficiency standpoint) rookie season. Very few expected him to perform as well as he did. Not in the first year under Ben Johnson, and after the rookie year struggles. Growing pains were all but guaranteed..

He certainly experienced some growing pains (especially early on), but they became nullified by his affinity for making game-changing plays. Often one-of-a-kind plays, if we're being honest.

Whether it be a miraculous escape from a sure sack or an off-platform throw while rolling out of the pocket, he made a few plays (or sometimes more) every week that only he was capable of making, seemingly every week down the stretch. Many plays were Mahomes-ian in nature, but at times required even more athleticism to pull off.

While he didn't establish enough consistency to be considered an MVP candidate this season, he displayed enough ability that some have predicted he could win the award in the future. Senior NFL reporter Dan Graziano is one of those people, and he thinks the Bears QB could achieve the honor in the very near future.

In fact, he predicted that Williams would be named the 2026 NFL MVP in ESPN's annual predictions piece.

I see the arrow pointing up for Williams with Ben Johnson and a Bears team that arrived well ahead of schedule. Williams has that fourth-quarter clutch gene, and even if the Bears fix their defense to where he doesn't need as many clutch performances, he should have plenty of opportunities to showcase his abilities in a tough NFC North.
Dan Graziano, ESPN

Bold of Graziano to hitch his horse to Williams.. Has he even seen his low completion percentage?

On that note, what do you think the detractors would say if he were to be named MVP with a 60% completion percentage? I don't think he's ever going to come near the 70% threshold with the way he plays. It's too impromptu. And that's okay. His completion percentage doesn't matter. Not when he can bail himself out of broken plays with passes that others wouldn't dream of completing, let alone attempting.

I could certainly envision Williams ascending to MVP status. He put up the numbers he did and pulled off the comebacks he did in the first year of learning Johnson's system. Just imagine how much better he can be once he has a firm grasp of the offense. Just imagine how much more in sync he will be with his receivers with more time together.

You could also say 'Oh, but the Bears got lucky this season. They're not going to have seven comeback victories next year!' Okay, and I argue they won't need to. Not after they work on improving the defense similarly to how they improved the offense last season. They won't have to rely on late-game heroics.

There is truly no ceiling to how far Williams can climb. An MVP Award is certainly within the realm of possibilities.

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