Jaquan Brisker issues a warning to the NFL about Caleb Williams

The impending free agent safety believes the future is bright in Chicago going forward because of their quarterback.

Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) runs onto the field during player introductions before an NFC Divisional Round game against the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Last night’s crushing overtime defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams will linger with Jaquan Brisker for a while, especially with his Chicago Bears future up in the air. Assuming something doesn’t happen between now and March, Brisker will hit unrestricted free agency for the first time since being drafted by Chicago in 2022—a fact he acknowledged after the game as he soaked in the postgame atmosphere.

But he said he hopes to remain a member of the Bears going forward, and that the rapid ascension of quarterback Caleb Williams to superstardom is a bug reason why.

“I mean, it’s amazing, seeing ’18’ grow, especially from the first day he walked in to what he is now. It’s amazing to see what type of player he’s going to be. He’s going to continue to grow. He’s become a better man, a better person, a better player, a better teammate. You see the plays he makes out there, and you can’t coach some of those things,” Brisker told reporters of Williams.  

“They have a quarterback here in Chicago, and that’s going to be special. … He’s going to be a problem in this league.”

No one who’s watched what Williams has done in the back half of this NFL season, including his two playoff games, would disagree. 

Despite not being anywhere close to a finished product as a player, Williams has created magic like no other quarterback in the NFL this season. The comebacks. The ice-water play in the clutch. And then, a week after pulling off the most insane throw most of us had ever seen by a Bears quarterback, he actually did the impossible and topped it against the Rams with his fadeaway touchdown throw to Cole Kmet that sent the Divisional Round game to overtime.

Just think: that was in just his second season—and his first with new head coach Ben Johnson and this revamped offense.

The challenge to improve on this year’s finish will only increase with a tougher schedule and opponents gunning for them, as will the pressure of expectation from without and within. But if there’s one thing we’ve seen about Williams, it’s that pressure doesn’t bother him in the slightest. In fact, it just makes him take his game to another level.

Now, the entire league has seen it, and one can imagine free agents flocking to the promise of Chicago in the years to come.

Of course, it’s somewhat depressing to hear Brisker say “they” of the Bears rather than “we,” as if he’s guarding against the possibility he won’t be back. But you can tell he wants to be. Because he’s seen this unfolding for two years. He knows how special this thing can be, and he wants in.

Because the Chicago Bears, for the first time in a very, very long time, unquestionably have their guy. And the NFL's going to have to deal with him for a very, very long time, too.

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• 4 reasons the Bears lost to the Rams in the Divisional Round

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