Chicago Bears fans already had plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about Caleb Williams entering the 2026 season. Now, NFL analyst Chris Simms has given them another.
Simms recently ranked Williams as the sixth best quarterback in the NFL, placing him behind only Matthew Stafford, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen… Yet the ranking itself was not the most notable takeaway.
What caught attention across the league was Simms’ admission that if he were starting a franchise today, Williams might be his first overall choice.
Now Simms acknowledged that Williams can hold the football too long and occasionally struggles with consistency as a passer. However, he believes his arm talent and creativity traits are so rare that they outweigh those concerns.
‘We go goldfish’
GettyBears QB Caleb Williams
After hearing Caleb Williams speak during a recent interview, it becomes easier to understand why analysts are so intrigued by his long term outlook…
When Simms asked Williams how he moves past mistakes so quickly, the Chicago Bears quarterback explained the mental framework he and the Bears lean on to flush mistakes in real time. “We go goldfish,” Williams said. “Goldfish is a 10-second memory. The happiest fish on earth.”
Williams mentioned that while he is passionate about winning and executing at a high level, he understands that his emotions cannot become more important than the moment.
“When I’m on the field, I need to be as calm as possible for the 10 other guys around me,” Williams said.
He also credited lessons he learned from Kobe Bryant’s mindset, noting that whatever he is feeling shouldn’t outweigh the importance of the next play. That mentality has already been visible.
In his rookie year, Caleb Williams led the NFL in sacks taken despite also avoiding 23 of them. His pressure to sack rate that season was 27.8%. Brutal. In 2025, he was pressured at nearly the same rate but his pressure to sack rate dropped to 9.6% as he finished 22nd in sacks taken instead of first.
Where Williams fits in the young QB conversation
GettyBears QB Caleb Williams
The battle for the best QB from the 2024 draft class has been crazy competitive… For 2024, Jayden Daniels looked like the clear winner. He led a playoff run as a rookie while Williams was grinding through a chaotic first year in Chicago. Then came 2025, and Drake Maye turned into an MVP candidate in New England.
Now, coming into 2026, Simms has Williams ahead of both. That ranking will get argued everywhere, and it should. But the fact that Williams belongs in that conversation at all is a shift from even a year ago.
If Williams continues combining elite physical talent with the short memory mentality that has become one of his defining traits, it is easy to understand why analysts around the league are so excited about what comes next.
For Chicago Bears fans, the most encouraging part may be that Caleb Williams’ biggest believers are not focused on what he has already accomplished. They are focused on what he is becoming.
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