How new Bears coach Ben Johnson can get the most out of Caleb Williams in 2025

Ben Johnson interviewed for four head coaching jobs. He met with leaders from the Chicago Bears, the New England Patriots, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Las Vegas Raiders.

One city held a special place in his heart, though. Johnson spent a weekend every summer with his family in Chicago, going to Cubs games at Wrigley Field and enjoying everything the city has to offer. He began to envision raising his three young kids in the Chicago area.

Just about everything seemed to be aligning. Asked during his introductory news conference last month if the quarterback situation played a part in his decision, Johnson couldn’t help but smile.

“Having a quarterback helps,” he said.

There was some speculation during the week prior to the hiring that Tom Brady, who is part of the Raiders ownership group, was making a push for Johnson to come to Las Vegas. But the Raiders don’t have a clear plan at quarterback and their draft position, No. 6 overall, could make it challenging for them to draft one of this year’s top prospects.

In Chicago, however, Caleb Williams was a major draw. Johnson will work closely with Williams over the coming months. He had glowing things to say about the 23-year-old quarterback who the Bears drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in April.

Johnson believes the play caller and the quarterback have to be in lockstep. That means Johnson and Williams will be seeing a lot of each other.

“It’s time on task,” Johnson said. “It’s trust. I’ve already talked to Caleb. We’re going to have to spend a lot of time together. The play caller and the quarterback have to be integrated. The quarterback needs to be able to see the game through the play caller’s eyes. In my opinion, that’s the only way it works.”

Despite the Bears' 5-12 record and the up-and-down nature of their offensive production in 2024, Williams finished his season with a decent stat line. His 3,541 passing yards were fifth-most in franchise history. He threw for 20 touchdown passes and six interceptions.

Even with all the turmoil around him – the fired head coach and the revolving door at offensive coordinator – Williams threw for only 27 yards fewer than Commanders QB Jayden Daniels. Daniels, the No. 2 pick in the draft, threw for five more touchdown passes, but also three more interceptions.

Bears fans are hoping the combination of Johnson and Williams can raise the quarterback’s play to a new level in 2025.

“We talked about the structure, we talked about [how] he’s a no nonsense guy, but he’ll always have my back, he’ll always give me support and so that was one of them – the structure, no nonsense, holding me accountable and us two being on the same wavelength,” Williams said.

The No. 1 thing that will help Williams the most is utilizing Johnson’s philosophies. Just the idea that the QB is an extension of the play caller feels like a novel idea in Chicago.

Williams didn’t appear to have nearly as much trust and rapport with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron last season. And if time on task with the play caller really is so important, as Johnson suggests, the Williams-Thomas Brown midseason relationship was doomed from the start.

Williams wanted an offensive-minded head coach. This is exactly why.

The thing Johnson loves the most about Williams' game right now his his ability to fit the football into tight windows. He has the arm strength to make big-time throws when there’s traffic around his target.

Not every young quarterback can do that. Johnson called Williams' abilities “a rare thing to see.”

“He’s fearless playing that position,” Johnson said. “He’s got so much confidence in being able to not only throw outside the numbers, but between the numbers. There’s just a lot to work with right there.”

[Caleb Williams is] fearless playing that position. He’s got so much confidence in being able to not only throw outside the numbers, but between the numbers. There’s just a lot to work with right there.”

—  Ben Johnson, Bears head coach

When the Lions traded Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff in 2021, there were plenty of things to criticize about Goff’s game. His arm wasn’t one of them. The Lions won only three games in their first year with Goff and the team parted ways with offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn after that season. In doing so, Dan Campbell promoted Johnson to run the offense.

The next year things started to click for Goff. What was the key to maximizing Goff’s talents? Johnson sat down with Goff and spent several days going over everything the Rams did with Goff. They took the things they liked and they scrapped the things they didn’t. Then they began building a totally new offense with many of those concepts. They found creative ways to utilize their best weapons, whether it be an athletic tackle like Penei Sewell or a mismatch nightmare like Amon-Ra St. Brown.

In Chicago, that process will start anew.

“We’re ripping this thing down to the studs, and we’re going to build it out with [Williams] first and foremost, and then with the pieces around him next,” Johnson said.