Only three NFL quarterbacks received votes this season for All-Pro, in balloting revealed Saturday morning. So just how far is the Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams from gaining recognition among the league’s elite?
The Bears obviously have bigger immediate concerns with the looming Saturday night Wild Card playoff game against the arch-rival Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Williams will need to play a mistake-free, productive game in which he makes plays with both his arm and his athleticism.
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With the arrival of head coach Ben Johnson, it’s already been a transformational season with the Bears improving from 5-12 to 11-6 and winning the NFC North. They obviously could win on Saturday night and then host a Divisional Round game next weekend.
But peering into the 2026 regular season and beyond, how close is Caleb? With offensive linemen Joe Thuney and Darnell Wright voted to All-Pro, feels like Williams’ credit for the Bears’ success is being diminished.
The three quarterbacks who received the 50 All-Pro votes are the Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford (31), Drake Maye of the New England Patriots (18) and the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen (1).
Williams will always be compared to Maye, because he was selected two spots before him in the 2024 NFL Draft. Stafford will be 38 by the time this season ends. Allen, who won MVP last season, will be 30 next season.
Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys and Sam Darnold of the Seattle Sehawks were named to the NFC’s Pro Bowl team ahead of Williams.
He showed marked improvement from 2024, throwing for a Bears’ franchise record 3,942 yards. With only 13 interceptions in 1,130 passes, he has one of the lowest ratios in NFL history to start a career. And he certainly wasn’t short on clutch highlights, most notably the game-winner to Colston Loveland to beat the Bengals and the perfect 46-yard strike to DJ Moore in overtime to topple the Packers.
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Johnson’s goal for Williams was to complete 70 percent of his passes. He not only fnished at only 58 percent, he didn’t achieve 70 in any single game. Stafford completed 65 percent; Maye a whopping 72.
For the season, Williams was 14 percentage points, 452 yards and four touchdowns behind Maye.
Williams has proven he can complete all the passes and make all the plays. His next step is fine-tuning the little things and sharpening his accuracy on the more simple throws.
Caleb Williams | David Banks-Imagn Images
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