Bears QB Caleb Williams calls Jordan Addison 'one of the best'

Jordan Addison has been one of the most electric receivers in the league over the last four weeks, catching 23 passes for 410 yards and five touchdowns. In those four games was an eight-catch, 162-yard and one-touchdown performance against the Chicago Bears, who are quarterbacked by Addison's former college teammate, Caleb Williams.

When speaking to Chicago media on Thursday about his former college receiver, Williams had only praise for Addison, calling him "explosive."

“He's probably going to hate that I say this, but he's not the largest human. He'll probably text me about it or something. He's not the largest human. He still plays like he's six-five and he will go up and get the ball in traffic," Williams quipped. "All these different things, and then it comes down to his detail and his routes. I think he's, if not the best, one of the best — that I've played with for sure — in the league at route running and getting open and things like that. Super happy for him and excited for his future.”

In his one season at USC, Addison teamed with Williams to catch 59 passes for 875 yards and eight touchdowns as part of an 11-3 Trojans side that finished No. 12 in the AP rankings. Addison left for the draft following the 2022 season and was selected 23rd overall by the Vikings.

Addison heads into Monday night's game against the Bears off the back of another all-star performance. In the Vikings' Week 14 win over Atlanta, Addison caught eight passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns. The second-year receiver's standout day paired with a big game for Justin Jefferson as the Vikings duo established themselves as one of the best receiving pairs in the league.

While the overall results haven't been there for Williams in the Bears' disappointing 4-9 season, Williams has put up solid numbers for a rookie quarterback. The 23-year-old has thrown for 2,746 yards, 16 touchdowns and just five interceptions for Chicago, including a 340-yard performance against the Vikings in a Week 12 Bears loss at Soldier Field.

Williams is hoping to be more decisive the second time against the Vikings.

"Being able to have answers and different answers for different plays. Knowing exactly where those guys are going to be so I can throw with anticipation," said Williams. "If I know what they're going to do, how they're going to do it, I can maybe hang on the route and rip it and things like that. Being able to be decisive, knowing where guys are, knowing where my hots are, that still applies to that. We're going to throw in a few wrinkles, they're going to try and throw in a few wrinkles and try to make us mess up, make mistakes and things like that. I think it comes down to us knowing our job, doing it well, being detailed, being decisive, and going out there and playing violent.”

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