Bears' Williams feels no 'pressure' heading into 2025
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams isn't feeling any heat heading into his second NFL campaign.
"Pressure's not a thing for me," Williams said, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "I don't think of it that way. It's not my job to care what the outside noise is and things like that. My job is take care of everything in here and go out there and play."
Williams is learning a new offense after the team hired Ben Johnson as its next head coach. Johnson, the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, has been impressed with Williams in training camp so far.
"He knows what's coming, and we're getting to the point now where I don't even have to say as much," Johnson said. "He's as hard on himself as I'm being on him."
He added, "He's getting to that point where it's more self-correction, and we're off and running from there. I'm really excited about where he's at mentally."
Williams was selected first overall in the 2024 draft. He started all 17 games as a rookie, throwing for 3,541 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. Chicago's offense struggled to keep Williams upright, though, as Williams' 68 sacks led all NFL quarterbacks last season. The USC product ranked 28th in EPA/play and 30th in success rate out of 32 qualifying signal-callers, according to Ben Baldwin's database.
Despite an up-and-down year, Williams' 3,541 passing yards were the fifth-most by a Bears quarterback in franchise history in a single season. Chicago is the only team in the league that's never had a 4,000-plus yard passer, and Williams wants to be the person who changes that.
"(Being) the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history," Williams said when asked about his ambitions for this season. "That's a goal of mine. 70% completion, that helps the team, keeps (the offense) on the field, puts us in better positions."
The 23-year-old will have some new weapons to work with in 2025. The Bears used their top two selections in this year's draft to pick tight end Colston Loveland and wideout Luther Burden. General manager Ryan Poles also prioritized bolstering the offensive line this offseason, adding three new projected starters in Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson.
Chicago will kick off its season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8.