Caleb Williams’ success and rising stardom has clearly made another head coach jealous because the NFL is ignoring his team
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams cemented himself as one of the NFL’s top rising stars and other teams around the league are tired of the attention he’s getting.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams continues to dominate the NFL conversation heading into his third season, and the attention has reached a point where people are tired of hearing about this guy everywhere they turn.
Williams graced the cover of Madden NFL 27, a rare accomplishment for a player entering Year 3, especially one with only one playoff win through his first two NFL seasons. Yet the league and NFL fans as a whole can’t stop talking about what the Bears quarterback could become.
People, of course, are still expecting much more out of Williams before crowning him a top quarterback in the NFL worthy of all this attention, but he’s well on his way toward becoming that. Those around the league are well aware of it, to the point that other teams and coaches have grown frustrated with how the Bears are treated relative to their own teams.
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen pushes back on the Caleb Williams hype machine
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen offered telling comments during training camp on Friday that illustrated the growing tension in how the league treats other big-market teams and stars.
“You just scroll — I just go and I pull out my phone and look at the NFL Network website and just pop up here (shows phone) and I’m just curious if I just see any photos or anything about the Jacksonville Jaguars. I think I’ll just scroll right on through. I think I’ll see forty pictures of Caleb Williams, and I won’t see a single thing about any of our players on here.”
Coen’s remarks might sound like a slight dig at Williams, but I think the frustration is more about how lower-market teams, like the Jaguars, feel overlooked while Chicago absorbs much of the national attention. I’m sure the Jaguars aren’t alone in that sentiment.
The NFL’s promotional engine has latched onto Williams as the next Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen, and that reality isn’t lost on coaches who believe their own players deserve similar treatment. It’s less about Williams himself and more about the imbalance in visibility between large-market and small-market franchises.
While the outside conversation swirls around Williams and the Bears, the team isn’t focused on Williams’ growing celebrity presence.
“I’m focused on coaching him. Our discussions are always about football,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said in June. “This is a guy that’s grown up in this. He’s been a five-star recruit. He’s won a Heisman. I think he knows how to handle attention. You come to a big city like Chicago, a team that loves their sports, a place that loves their sports and loves the Bears. I think this is kind of what he’s built for, so I think it’s a good match.”
Caleb Williams has the makings of an MVP-caliber quarterback and the attention is honestly deserved
Williams still has a long way to go in terms of refining his game within Johnson’s offense. That said, what he can do on the football field is second to none from a pure talent standpoint. Over time, once he gets more development within this system and with Johnson, he will be a problem for the rest of the NFL sooner than later.
The early returns from the first three days of training camp prove that point. Williams looks improved in his handling of Johnson’s offense, and if it all comes together in 2026 or in the near future, Chicago really has Super Bowl aspirations with Johnson coaching on the sideline and Williams at the helm.
Williams has the makings of becoming an MVP-caliber quarterback. Once he figures out the last few pieces of the puzzle, the rest of the league is in for a rude awakening.
The talent, the popularity, and the polarizing nature of who Williams is guarantees the NFL won’t slow down when it comes to featuring this guy either, especially for a player in a big sports market. If anything, it’s get even louder in the near future.
I understand why it does ruffle some feathers for lower-market teams but there’s nothing anyone can do about it. If you want attention, you have to earn it and those in lesser markets will have to work even harder to earn it. That’s just the nature of the business.