Everybody has heard the comparisons by now. Caleb Williams’ style of play throughout college, particularly his out-of-pocket wizardry, reminds them of Patrick Mahomes. The reigning NFL king is the standard by which all other quarterbacks are measured. So, anybody who is comparing to him must be pretty talented. While flattered by such comments, Williams has made it clear more than once that Mahomes isn’t the player he’s tried to emulate during the early stages of his football career. That would be Aaron Rodgers. Still, it hasn’t stopped the comparison from flying.
Jordan Palmer has heard it plenty of times already. The former NFL quarterback and renowned quarterback trainer has followed Williams closely throughout his young career. He, too, agrees with the Mahomes comparisons. However, he took things a step further. During an interview on The Dan Patrick Show, Palmer stated that he believes Williams is further along coming out of college than Mahomes was back in 2017. He listed two primary reasons for this.
One is the number of big games Williams has played, and the other is the massive spotlight he’s had on him since becoming the starter at Oklahoma. He already understands the pressures of being a “franchise” quarterback. Mahomes never had to deal with any of that throughout his college career at Texas Tech and even the first two seasons of his NFL career.
Mahomes went 7-6 and 5-7 during his two years as the starter for Texas Tech. The program was never in the public eye because it wasn’t considered a viable contender. Never mind the fact that they played in Lubbock, Texas—not exactly a strong media market. Williams played first for Oklahoma, an established college football blueblood, before moving to USC in the heart of Los Angeles, the second-biggest media market in the country.
Mahomes then went to Kansas City, another town with a lower national profile, and didn’t start at all his first year. There was no pressure in his second year because it was his first as a starter. People thought it would take time. Only in 2019 were the expectations finally at such a point where he felt the true pressure of a franchise quarterback. Caleb Williams joined the Bears, a founding franchise of the NFL, in the third-largest media market in the country.
Oh, and it’s an organization with a tortured history at quarterback. Palmer is 100% correct. In terms of understanding the pressures and responsibilities of being an organizational focal point, it’s not even close.
