The Caleb Williams-Ben Johnson Partnership Won't Last Much Longer

The Chicago Bears are just two games into the 2025 season, and things aren't looking good. They kicked things off with a painful loss to the Vikings in the opener, where they blew a 17-6 fourth-quarter lead on Monday Night Football. Then, yesterday, in their new head coach Ben Johnson's much-anticipated return to Detroit, the Bears got completely embarrassed in a 52–21 defeat. In a season that just about twenty days ago Bears fans were hopeful about, it already feels much like years past. And with this slow start, you can already see the tension brewing between head coach Ben Johnson and second-year quarterback Caleb Williams.

From an outside view, I just don't see this pairing lasting. Ben Johnson really reminds me of Kyle Shanahan—he’s a coach focused on the system who expects his quarterback to run the plays he calls; no going off-script, just do what he asks.

Caleb Williams, though? He is at his best when he can extend plays and play a bit of "hero ball," and those two styles just don't mesh, and we're already catching glimpses of that struggle on the field.

It kind of reminds me of Sean McVay and Jared Goff's time in Los Angeles. They had a bit of success; they even reached a Super Bowl together, but McVay eventually realized he needed a different kind of quarterback to get his offense to another level. That's when he traded Goff for Matthew Stafford, and the Rams won a Super Bowl right away.

While some thought Goff, another former number one pick, was sent to Detroit to fade away, Goff revived his career. Even with a rough start in Detroit, the Lions kept believing in Goff, and now he’s playing the best football of his life as the Lions are one of the top-tier contenders in the NFL.

I can't help but think we're headed toward a similar situation with Caleb Williams and the Bears. If Chicago keeps on losing, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Williams finds himself benched in the next month. It could even happen as soon as Week 4 if the Cowboys deal them another loss this Sunday. And if that goes down? I’d bet it’s nearly guaranteed that Caleb will be on a new team in 2026.

Honestly, that might be exactly what he needs. Let's be honest, we've heard countless reports that during the draft process he never wanted to go to Chicago, and it's not like Johnson and his new staff are the ones who drafted Williams.

If Caleb Williams is going to reach his potential, I think he needs to go to a team that believes in him like the Lions believed in Goff, and Johnson is likely to go with a quarterback who runs his offense the way he envisions.

So, while the Bears are already in a downward spiral just two weeks in, don’t be shocked if this ends with Caleb Williams somewhere else in 2026, while Ben Johnson looks to build his system with a quarterback he truly wants.

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