Despite shattering franchise records and outperforming rivals on the field, Chicago’s star signal-caller remains overlooked in recent elite rankings, fueling a heated divisional debate heading into 2026.
It seems that even after what the Chicago Bears accomplished last season, they still can't get respect around the league.
Recently, the disrespect was to Caleb Williams.
On Thursday, CBS Sports' Pete Prisco released a list of who he considered to be the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL heading into the 2026 season. The likes of Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow were towards the top of his list.
The person who was absent? That would be Williams.
Stafford, Allen, Burrow and Mahomes all deserve to be featured, but the fact that Williams wasn't even included is interesting.
What's even more interesting is that Jordan Love made the list, but there was no sign of Williams. The Green Bay Packers quarterback came in at No. 7, ranking ahead of Jared Goff, Drake Maye and Justin Herbert.
Williams just had a record-breaking season with the Bears.
He broke Erik Kramer's record for single-season passing yards, throwing for 3,942 compared to the previous mark of 3,838. Williams was also three passing touchdowns shy of setting a new record in that stat in a single season.
What stings most is that Williams had a better statistical season than Love.
Love didn't even play a full 17-game season. He threw for 3,381 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. Williams finished with 3,942 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
On top of that, Williams and the Bears beat the Packers not once, but twice.
The Bears had two heroic fourth-quarter comebacks against the Packers last season. The first was in the second regular-season meeting in Week 16. Then, it was in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
After all the strides that Williams made in the first year of Ben Johnson's system, he deserves to be mentioned among the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Williams had 3,541 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions as a rookie, and threw for more yards and touchdowns in his second NFL season.
Luckily for the Bears, they'll get a chance to prove which quarterback is better twice this season. Plus, the Packers' defense may have a down year after the questionable hire they made at defensive coordinator.
After Jeff Hafley left to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, the Packers hired Jonathan Gannon.
Gannon got a head-coaching gig after serving as the DC of the Philadelphia Eagles for two seasons. He had a top-10 defense in 2022 with the Eagles, but then that side of the ball struggled mightily once he became the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2023.
The Cardinals just had one of their worst defensive seasons under Gannon, ranking 27th in passing yards allowed, 29th in rushing yards allowed and 19th in takeaways.
Even after what Williams and his team accomplished, there's still a lack of respect in the NFL. It's a good thing the Bears face the Packers twice again in 2026.
