Caleb Williams seemed to have enjoyed the news about the Chicago Bears hiring Ben Johnson as their new head coach as much as the rest of the fanbase.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Bears finalized a deal to hire Johnson as their next head coach on Monday, locking down their top candidate on the first day of his availability following the Detroit Lions’ elimination from the 2024 NFL playoffs.
Naturally, the news caught the attention of the Bears’ 23-year-old starting quarterback. His reaction also made it clear how he felt about the hire, liking Pelissero’s report about Johnson’s hiring on Instagram — which Pelissero then screenshotted and shared on X.
Caleb Williams has weighed in on his new coach … pic.twitter.com/TWLO8O4sww
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 20, 2025
The Bears have not yet officially announced Johnson’s hiring, but it is expected they will formally name him the franchise’s 18th head coach on Tuesday, January 21, and share details about when he will address the media for the first time as an NFL head coach.
Johnson spent the past three seasons as the Lions’ offensive coordinator, cultivating a reputation as an aggressive and creative play-caller. In 2024, his offense led the league in scoring and finished second in both total yards and passing yards. He also helped quarterback Jared Goff make the Pro Bowl for the second time in three years together.
The hope is Johnson can do the same for the Bears — and Williams, in particular.
Can Ben Johnson Elevate Caleb Williams’ Game in 2025?
Williams had a fine rookie season in 2024 despite almost everything going wrong that could go wrong with the Bears otherwise. He threw for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns — both rookie franchise records — and limited his interceptions to just six, setting an NFL rookie record for the most consecutive passes thrown without a pick.
Williams also regularly showed off the arm talent that motivated the Bears to draft him at No. 1 overall in 2024 — and earned him some previous praise from Johnson.
“There’s no question this guy is talented,” Johnson said of Williams in December. “I remember standing on the sideline last game, and you can hear the ball whistle by you. He’s got quite a fastball and has some creativity to him. Can extend plays and is accurate down the field as well.”
The question now is whether Johnson can elevate Williams’ game. While it should act as a benefit to Williams to have an offensive-minded head coach, he will need to adjust to a new offensive scheme, new terminology and new plays while also trying to improve his footwork and recognition of certain defensive fronts and shells.
The good news is ESPN’s Matt Bowen believes Johnson’s scheme will suit Williams.
“Under Johnson’s coaching — in a system that will create more timing throws off play-acton and movement while also setting up explosive plays — Williams should be expected to take a major step forward in 2025,” Bowen wrote. “Johnson can develop Williams to be more rhythmic in the pocket and maximize his ability to create and throw on the move.”
Bears Fan Used Ben Johnson to Prank Caleb Williams
Williams seems on board with the Bears’ decision to hire Johnson, but he probably had to double-check with the team after a fan got the better of him with a prank last week.
During an appearance on the “St. Brown Podcast,” Williams detailed an embarrassing story about how a fan prank-texted him pretending to be Johnson, telling him in the text that the Bears had just hired him to become the team’s next head coach.
Williams said he had thought to check the cell phone number’s authenticity with Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown before responding, but his excitement got the better of him and he FaceTimed the number only to find a group of kids on the other line.
Now, Williams played it cool on the phone and called it a “classic prank” on the podcast with the St. Brown brothers, but he admitted he did not handle it well after he hung up.
“I wanted to smash some s***,” he said. “I was fuming.”
On the bright side, at least Williams will still get his chat with Johnson.
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