Bear Digest

NFL Star Fires Off Blatant Disrespect of Caleb Williams

It seems like one of Caleb Williams' most dramatic fourth-quarter comebacks still stings for this player.
Pete Martuneac|
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

Just one year after a tumultuous rookie season, in which the Chicago Bears' coaching failures proved Caleb Williams' concerns were right, Caleb Williams went from another headstone in the Bears' graveyard of promising quarterbacks to a budding NFL superstar. He's already earned a cool nickname (Iceman) thanks to his NFL-record seven fourth-quarter comeback victories, and he has thrown what was perhaps the most unbelievable touchdown pass in NFL postseason history in a heartbreaking Divisional round loss to the Rams.

Considering all of that context, I would find it extremely hard to believe that any self-respecting NFL player wouldn't know who Caleb Williams is, but that is apparently where we are. Cincinnati Bengals superstar receiver Ja'Marr Chase appeared on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" on Thursday and at one point seemed to combine the names Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, referring to Chicago's quarterback as "Caleb Daniels".

An innocent slip of the tongue was all that seemed to be. Pat McAfee even played along, hyping up this fictional "Caleb Daniels" for a moment. That's when all the guests began to laugh at the mix-up, to which Chase replied, "I don't know what the [blank] his first name is. What's the quarterback for the Bears?"

Chase knows exactly who Caleb Williams is, even if he'd rather not know

I'm sorry, but I don't believe for a second that Ja'Marr Chase doesn't know who Caleb Williams is. He doesn't have to be best friends with the guy. But after the season that Williams had, which included a dramatic Week 9 win over the Bengals, I refuse to believe that Chase could genuinely not know Caleb Williams' name.

Williams is a budding superstar after just two seasons. Indeed, he even now has new 'Superstar' abilities in the latest version of the Madden 26 video game. The most casual of football fans know his name, but a superstar wide receiver who watched Williams decimate his team just three months ago doesn't? Give me a break.

To me, this reeks of sour grapes. Chase seems to still be bitter about that brutal Week 9 loss to Caleb Williams and the Bears, and so he's playing it off like he doesn't know his name. It's extremely disrespectful to one of the NFL's brightest young stars, and Williams has taken notice, as he reposted the above tweet to his own X profile.

I would imagine that this is a slight that Williams will remember and avenge the next time he faces Cincinnati. Luckily for Chase and the Bengals, that rematch won't come for at least a couple of years. Maybe by then, Chase can actually help his team reach the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

Caleb William
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

More Chicago Bears News:

Sign Up For the Bears Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Chicago Bears Newsletter

Published
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.

Home/News