When Caleb Williams was building his legacy at USC, evaluators could already see similarities. The more you watched him play, the young quarterback emulated many of the qualities that eventually made Aaron Rodgers a superstar in the NFL. That shouldn't be a surprise. Williams idolized the former Green Bay Packers legends. It's only natural that he would craft his play style in a similar fashion. So far in 2025, Williams has made several plays that remind people of peak Rodgers. The ability to dodge pass rushers, make plays on the run, and deliver the ball to the right spot consistently. Ben Johnson agrees, yes?
Well...no.
The Bears head coach was asked about it during his recent press conference. While he didn't go out of his way to insult Williams, he made it pretty clear the gulf between him and Rodgers remains significant. Like any good coach, he was quick to point out how that could change.
"Um, yeah, I'd probably, probably not right now. You know, I think he's (Rodgers) elite right now at getting the ball out of his hands. I think he's got the, if he doesn't have the fastest snap to throw time in the league right now, he's got to be close. So, he's doing a really good job of spinning it out, he's accurate. You know, I think our guy is the same way, but we probably hold on to it a little bit more. Just where we are in the offense, as we are learning and growing, I think we will gravitate more towards getting it out faster the more reps we have. But, yeah, the guy has done it like I said at a high level for a long time, so it's a good guy to look up to."
Johnson continues to prove he won't offer praise where it's not earned.
Williams has been solid this year. He's thrown 13 touchdowns to just four interceptions. His protection of the ball is a big reason for the Bears' ability to win tight games. Still, his completion percentage is hovering just above 59. That is far below the 70% goal Johnson established in the summer. The head coach revealed how he's working to help his quarterback with that.
"This is speaking on quarterback terms - I don’t know if you can go 25 for 25 but I do know that you can go one for one each and every single time, 25 times. Just focusing on where we’re at … If we focus on that and go 1-0 each week, we’ll be exactly where we want to be."
Ben Johnson won't crown a player until they prove it.
That includes the quarterback. Like it or not, Williams hasn't done anything in the NFL yet. He hasn't made a Pro Bowl, won an MVP award, made the playoffs, won a playoff game, or won a championship. Rodgers did all of those things. Until the Bears quarterback starts checking off that list, it makes no sense for Ben Johnson to act like the two should be in the same conversation. That doesn't mean the head coach isn't in his quarterback's corner. Quite the opposite. His entire goal is getting Williams to that same echelon.
What he's trying to convey is that becoming like Rodgers takes hard work. It took the future Hall of Famer four years of relentless study and preparation before he emerged as an elite quarterback. People forget he wasn't a completion machine early in his career. His first season saw him finish at barely above 63%. That should be the first reasonable goal for Williams to shoot for.
