The Bears are looking for a new head coach and one of the key elements of the job will be developing 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
Williams displayed some flashes of strong play in 2024, but he’ll need to be more consistent to make Chicago a perennial contender in a strong NFC North division.
To that end, Williams was asked how he’d like to be challenged by the next Bears coach in his season-ending press conference on Monday.
“I would say just challenge me,” Williams said, via transcript from the team. “Whether it’s pulling me aside and saying whatever — having talks consistently. Maybe having a list of things, we want to accomplish, myself first — that helps the team. From there help find ways to set goals. However it might work out, just challenge. Find ways to help better myself and better the team. Really excited about that.
“I don’t have an issue being challenged, I don’t have an issue with speaking truth between the coach and I or whoever it may be. Whichever way it happens or shapes up is the way it goes.”
Williams added that he learned plenty from his rookie year about being an NFL quarterback and has time now to reflect and improve during the offseason.
“I knew it was a big task at hand,” Williams said. “I knew there were some of the things I couldn’t do from college, some of the things I could do. A bunch of things I needed to learn on and off the field. There were more lessons this year than I would say I’ve had. One of the things was all of the different things throughout the week that it takes for me to go out there and play well, the team to play well. That’s something I learned early on. Finding ways to be better with those things throughout the year and the years to come.”
Williams started all 17 games in his rookie year, completing 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,541 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. He rushed for 489 yards, though he also took a league-high 68 sacks and fumbled 10 times with five lost.