Everybody understood Caleb Williams was coming in with high expectations. He is the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft. That comes with the understanding that the entire professional league believes you have the best chance to become a superstar. Williams, to his credit, understands the pressures that come with that. If anything, he welcomes them. It was one of the goals he set for himself as far back as his childhood. One could understand if he was progressing slowly. Rookies need time to find their footing in the NFL.
Yet nothing over the past few months indicates Williams needs babying. If anything, he already carries himself like someone who has played in the league for years. Teammates and coaches have raved about his maturity. Undeniable proof of this finally surfaced on Monday when the quarterback was announced as one of eight team captains for the 2024 season. He joins D.J. Moore, Cole Kmet, Marcedes Lewis, Jaylon Johnson, Kevin Byard, Tremaine Edmunds, and T.J. Edwards.
People cannot understate the significance of this. Keep in mind that captains are not selected by the coaches; the locker room votes on them. Williams is the first rookie ever to achieve this honor.
It is crazy to think Bears players were worried about losing Justin Fields because it would leave a void of leadership in the locker room. Yet it took Williams barely a few months to not only win those guys over but showcase the necessary attributes to get them to follow him. Sure, you expect that from a quarterback, but not a rookie. Fields didn’t earn the honor until his second season. Mitch Trubisky never got it. Rex Grossman never got it. Cade McNown never got it. Jim McMahon never got it. That should give you an idea of what Williams just achieved.
Sure, this isn’t the achievement Bears fans want to see. They have much higher expectations for Caleb Williams. Still, it can’t be understated how rare this is. A rookie managed to win over a locker room of veterans in only a few months to such a degree that they feel comfortable making him one of their leaders. Joe Burrow did something similar in Cincinnati in 2020. We all saw how that worked out. This feels like a good sign for what’s to come.
