In Caleb Williams, Bears Hope for Something They Haven’t Had in Nearly 75 Years

by Eric Fulton

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The Chicago Bears are one of the National Football League's oldest franchises existing for over 100 years. While they have had legendary players play for the team, they have also produced not so many great players in the most important position in the game, quarterback. That could change come Thursday night (April 25) in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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After trading with the Carolina Panthers for the number one overall pick, (which became quarterback Bryce Young) along with wide receiver D.J. Moore in 2023 and with Carolina finishing with the worst record, Chicago is expected to pick the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and USC quarterback Caleb Williams number one overall. If you are a Bears fan, you waited an extra year to potentially (and finally) have something you have never really had in decades, a true franchise quarterback.

Historically, the Bears have excelled in positions like running back with icons such as Gale Sayers and Walter Payton. Also, the linebacking position has been valuable with legends like Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher. While all of the players I mentioned are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the quarterback position has been the one area where the Bears have not succeeded much. It’s become one of those things in the league that you just assume will be a laughingstock.  

The greatest and most successful quarterback in Bears history was Sid Luckman and the team hasn’t had anybody rival him at the position since his career ended nearly 75 years ago. Luckman was the second overall pick by Chicago in 1939 and played his entire 12-year career with the Bears. Luckman led Chicago to four NFL Championships in the 1940s as well as becoming a five-time first-team All-Pro.
Though most fans remember the next two quarterbacks that I will mention, their numbers and accomplishments do not match the likes of Luckman. Jim McMahon was drafted in 1982 and won Super Bowl XX with the Bears in 1985. However, that team was mostly remembered for their "Monsters of the Midway" defense which put up historic stats during that memorable season. Though he would be the starting quarterback for Chicago for most of the 1980s, McMahon never put up the successful numbers Luckman did. 

In 2009, the Bears made a big splash by acquiring Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos. Cutler played eight seasons in Chicago and became the Bears' all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, completions and attempts. Cutler led the Bears to the NFC Championship in 2010 but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion and rival, Green Bay Packers. Cutler got hurt during the game and did not finish. That was the high mark of the Cutler era in Chicago as the team did not come close to the Super Bowl again. The starting quarterback in their last Super Bowl appearance was Rex Grossman in Super Bowl XLI and Grossman was nowhere near a great quarterback.

In recent history, the Bears drafting quarterbacks has been often but has also been unsuccessful. In 2017, the Bears selected Mitchell Trubisky second overall. Trubisky had early season success with then head coach Matt Nagy as the Bears returned to the playoffs. But that success was short-lived as neither Trubisky nor the Bears would win in the playoffs. Trubisky was let go and Nagy was fired. Adding more salt to the wound, the Bears could have drafted Patrick Mahomes second overall that season. Mahomes has had major success in Kansas City with multiple championships and MVPs.

In 2021, the Bears once again used their first-round pick to draft a quarterback. This time, they would draft Justin Fields 11th overall. Fields had some success, but his rookie season saw the Bears finish 6-11, thus leading to the firing of Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace. The next couple of years would see Fields struggle the majority of the time, but he did show some flash at times, as well. Last month, Chicago traded Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025.

Now the Bears are on the verge of drafting Williams first overall in this year's NFL Draft. Williams does have the talent to be drafted first overall, the biggest question is can he live up to all the hype of being the number one pick while also changing the fortunes of a position for a bedrock NFL franchise? If Williams plays the way like did in 2022 which won him a Heisman, then he will be a franchise player for a long time. If for some reason the Bears fail to make the playoffs and have deep runs during the Williams era, then it will be another same song and dance for Chicago.