6️⃣1️⃣ Days Until the Season Opener
Good morning, Bears fans!
Sometimes it’s hard to remember that Caleb Williams was born two months after 9/11 and is still just 24 years old. Then he’s asked to name the Bears Mount Rushmore and he leaves off Walter Payton … among a few other questionable decisions.
Then again, Caleb could’ve listed Steve Walsh, Joe Cain, Brian Baschnagel and Ahmad Merritt if he keeps showing up on lists like the one below.
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Thoughts on Top 10 Caleb
List Month™ gave us a big win on Monday.
Caleb Williams snuck into ESPN’s Top 10 quarterbacks, a ranking determined by a survey of the NFL’s executives, coaches and scouts.
While it’s not exactly cause to raise a banner at Soldier Field, it sure does feel like some sort of achievement for any Bears fan not old enough to remember Sid Luckman.
Being ranked in the top 10 heading into Year 3 means you’re a good year or two from being ranked in the Top 5.
And having a quarterback ranked in the Top 5 usually means your team is a contender as long as he’s lining up under center.
Perhaps most importantly for Bears fans, it means having a quarterback you won’t be screaming about replacing four days into training camp.
Here’s the complete Top 10, followed by some thoughts:
10 - Caleb Williams, Bears
9 - Jared Goff, Lions
8 - Drake Maye, Patriots
7 - Justin Herbert, Chargers
6 - Dak Prescott, Cowboys
5 - Lamar Jackson, Ravens
4 - Joe Burrow, Bengals
3 - Matthew Stafford, Rams
2 - Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
1 - Josh Allen, Bills
Williams’ flair for late heroics and off-script wizardry gave him the nod over Jordan Love (smirk), Jayden Daniels and Sam Darnold for the last spot. Though if I’m Darnold, I’m probably arguing a Lombardi Trophy is the ultimate tiebreaker.
Jalen Hurts has to be in his feelings, too.
What a difference a year, a division title and a playoff win can make. At this time last year, there was plenty of doubt swirling around Williams and we were a few weeks away from him feeling like he was drowning during Ben Johnson’s first camp. Now he’s in a spot closer to the top than the bottom.
It’ll be interesting to see how the NFL’s Top 100 players follows this list. The league’s players already placed Lamar Jackson at No. 69, but the other nine have yet to appear. It’s possible Williams has also leapfrogged others … or will be leapfrogged himself. (Though not by Love, who came in at No. 72 … smirk)
Only two quarterbacks in the Top 10 have won a Super Bowl and that duo doesn’t include the man at No. 1. Fielding a quarterback at this level is far from a guarantee of winning a ring.
What would it take for Caleb to threaten the Top 5 next offseason? Figure another division title over Goff, regression from Maye and the Patriots, numbers that approach Herbert and Prescott’s top years, another disappointing year from Lamar and a Stafford retirement. Plus no quarterback behind him on the list having an MVP-type year that thrusts him into the conversation. In other words: Not probable, but not impossible either.
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Worth Your Time
The Bears Hallmark movie is filming in Chicago with a Christkindlmarket recreation in July (Sun-Times)
The Jordans that do the best job of pairing with a Bears jersey. (Athlon Sports)
The NFL’s 2026 preview and predictions for the Bears. (YouTube)
Extra Point
(The older gentleman was said to be in good spirits and joking after the incident)
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