Caleb Williams Has to Prove Himself to Ben Johnson as Oklahoma Bad Blood Catches Up To Bears QB – Report

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It’s a cold, hard fact: since way back in 2015, the Bears have cycled through 14 QBs and 5 HCs. For a franchise starving for stability, the arrival of Caleb Williams was supposed to be the dawn of a new era. But as the ‘25 season inches closer, Williams finds himself with a mission to rewrite the Bears’ history and to earn the trust of the new HC Ben Johnson, whose standards are as high as the city’s skyline. The stakes? Nothing less than rewriting a story that’s been stuck on repeat for far too long.

The mission to flip the script on the Bears’ past is something both the QB and HC share. And for a franchise riddled with departures, both of them intend to stay and make their mark. As Caleb Williams noted at the Fanatic Fest recently, “Ben Johnson, he uses some choice words every day toward me. He’s tough and I love him. He’s awesome. It’s great being around him. – I know Bears fans, it’s year after year typically, or every other year, where coaches and quarterbacks specifically are in and out and our goal is to be here for a while.” But for Williams to stick around, he first has to prove he belongs under center.

Right when Johnson started his journey with the Bears, he shared a sharp message with his expectations from the roster. “The bar has been set higher than it’s ever been set before. The only way for this team, and for you as individual players, to reach your potential, is to be pushed and to be challenged, and that’s exactly what I and my staff plan on doing.” Williams’ mission this year will be to meet the high bar the HC has set for the whole team. And the way to do it, as sportswriter Zachary Pereles believes, will be to build synergy with his coach.

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As Zachary Pereles writes, “Johnson’s first goal will be getting Williams comfortable. But Williams has to show Johnson can be comfortable with him as his quarterback, too, by playing on time and not taking bad sacks that wreck drives.” Williams’ rookie season was rough. He took 68 sacks (more than any other QB last season), and the Bears lost a staggering 108 points because of them. The offensive line was shaky, and Williams admitted he wasn’t given the tools he needed. He was left to break down game films on his own and expected to deliver. But Johnson’s arrival changes the game. He’s already turned around Jared Goff’s career back in Detroit. He’s all about accountability and communication. Johnson, along with the rest of the coaching staff, will be pushing Williams to be his best on the field. Maybe even break some records in the process.

No Bears QB has ever thrown for 4,000 yards in a season. That’s a record Caleb Williams is expected to shatter. With a revamped offensive line and some fresh weapons, the pressure is on him to deliver. NFL analyst Jeffri Chadiha predicts Williams will throw for 4,500 yards (1000+ from last season’s output) and 35 touchdowns in 2025. A leap that would rewrite Bears history and finally give the city a QB to rally behind. But as Williams gears up for the new season with his new coach, he’s also dealing with a ghost from the past. A rivalry 4 years in the making is still far from over.

Oklahoma’s ghosts: the Spencer Rattler – Caleb Williams rivalry

Caleb Williams’ journey is tangled with a rivalry that started back in Oklahoma. Spencer Rattler, once the Sooners’ star QB, lost his starting job to Williams in a dramatic shift that rocked college football. Back in 2021, Rattler was en route to snag the Heisman trophy. But in a matchup against Texas, Williams got the starting role. Rattler walked away from Oklahoma after spending the rest of the year on the bench. After losing his job to Williams, he faced criticism and was portrayed as arrogant on Netflix’s “QB1.” But he’s grown, earning a shot with the Saints and battling for his own spot in the NFL spotlight. And that old fire of rivalry still burns bright behind the scenes.

On a recent edition of the Rich Eisen Show, Rattler talked about his year with the Sooners when Williams had turned up. While he didn’t explicitly single out Williams, those memories are still fresh in his mind. As Rattler noted, “I mean, what happened at Oklahoma, you know, it’s like ancient history at this point. At the time, we were coming off a Big 12 Championship on a 16-game win streak. And we were rolling. I think we led the conference in touchdowns, completion percentage, and yeah, whatever happened happened. But, you know, like I said earlier, everybody has their own story. You know, God has a plan for everybody, and that’s just how mine went.” It is also interesting to note Rattler is going through a similar journey now with the Saints.

In his NFL rookie year of 2024, Rattler got a chance to be the starter for the Saints as Derek Carr suffered an injury. Through 6 games, he didn’t manage to get a win but threw for 1,317 yards and 4 TDs. Now, with Carr’s retirement, Rattles faces a QB battle with the rookie Tyler Shough, who brings a much more impressive college resume in tow. Rattler’s experience with Williams has made him a tougher competitor. But with the QB competition heating up, how that will translate to his NFL career still remains to be seen.

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