The Bears won the NFC North title in Ben Johnson’s first season as head coach, and quarterback Caleb Williams showed tremendous improvement throughout the season, culminating in his stunning fourth touchdown to send the game into overtime in Sunday’s divisional round game against the Rams.
Johnson told reporters at Wednesday’s press conference that he feels Williams has shown some traits that he can continue to develop into 2026. But Johnson also hopes Williams can take some time to herself.
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“We had a good exit interview. My main message to him was that he needed to take a break from football,” Johnson said in a team transcript. “He’s done a great job of staying focused throughout the year. He’s put in a lot of time, a lot of effort. I think he’s grown as a pro. I think his communication with the coaching staff has increased. I think his communication with his teammates has increased. But when he comes back this spring, there’s definitely going to be a lot of focus that he can delve into. That’s important for all of us as coaches, players, support staff — we step away for a little while. We hit the reset button. I think everybody needs it at this point.
“Things that we emphasized to Caleb at the beginning of the season, I do think they improved as the season went on. We improved our footwork a little bit last spring and I think the comfort level has improved since then. He’s certainly been more comfortable with the concepts that we’ve been running throughout the season. That’s what we There’s a lot to build on, but there’s still a lot we can push in that regard. So, I’m very encouraged by the steps he’s taken this year. I’m Caleb Williams’ No. 1 believer in him and the player he’s still trying to become.”
Williams completed 58.1% of his passes for 3.94 2 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 17 regular season games. In the playoffs, he completed 52.2% of his passes for 618 yards, 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.