Caleb Williams failed to pop in his rookie year in terms of winning games, but like rival Jared Goff, Williams experienced a second-year glow-up under a new head coach. From five wins in 2024 to 11 in 2025, Williams is on the incline. His team's jump also saw him jump up the list to No. 51 in the NFL player rankings.

The announcement was made by NFL media in a Friday X post with an accompanying video clip. The clip celebrated the quarterback's impressive 2025 season, including an endorsement from Green Bay Packers pass rusher Micah Parsons.

Fans had starkly different reactions to Williams' ranking. Many strongly disagreed.

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Jackson was ranked No. 69, while Hurts was ranked No. 56.

While plenty of doubters took shots at the ranking, Bears fans pumped their fists in collective celebration and hype.

While most of Williams' 2025 season was significantly improved, his completion percentage dip from 62.5% in 2024 to 58.1% in 2025 offers one lingering reason for doubt. It will fall on Williams to erase that last critique in 2026.

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Caleb Williams was surrounded by doubters after his rookie 5-12 season, but one analyst had already seen enough. In an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda on February 6, 2025, former Around the NFL podcast host Dan Hanzus believed Williams had already done enough to deserve a second contract.

Since that conversation, Williams has gone on to post an 11-6 season in which he threw for a career-best 27 touchdowns and six interceptions. Williams also defeated the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs to deliver Chicago's first divisional round appearance since 2010.

While Williams can't chase a new contract until after his third regular season, most would agree he is closer to winning over the front office heading into 2026 than he was heading into 2025.

Can the quarterback keep the momentum going?

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