Despite being surrounded by veteran stalwarts like Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, and Brett Rypien, rookie Caleb Williams is tasked with leading the Bears’ offense. Being the QB1 carries immense expectations, especially with a franchise like the Bears. Consequently, many have questioned his suitability for the leadership role, but Caleb couldn’t care less.
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Ever since Williams announced his intention to enter the draft this year, the hype around him has been unprecedented. Apart from being the number 1 overall pick, a testament to the high expectations from him was the fact that he broke all jersey sales records for a rookie after getting drafted.
With such high expectations, many Bears want Williams to at least have a CJ Stroud-level rookie season. On top of these massive expectations, Caleb also has to take on the leadership role of a budding project. Therefore, the responsibilities on Caleb’s shoulders and many netizens of late have been implying that the QB will falter along the way.
The Bears rookie, however, doesn’t pay heed to these naysayers. In his conversation with Kay Adams, he revealed that he only cares about the words from his family, teammates, and support staff. So anyone else talking trash about him is white noise for Caleb:
“I choose my words wisely, but I don’t really care about the outside. [For me], it only matters about the people in the building, the people around every day, my family, my support staff and all of them. So other than them and the people in the building, have fun, [and] get all the clicks that you need.”
Caleb’s nonchalance and self-belief in dealing with challenges as a rookie shows the pedigree of this new breed of “Gen Z” QBs. He even acknowledged this fact and thanked the NFL’s major stakeholders for allowing rookies to undertake leadership roles.
“The game has transitioned tremendously”: Caleb on the rise of ‘Gen Z’ quarterbacks
During the sit-down interview, Adams noted that despite being a rookie and a Gen Z, Caleb has a veteran presence in him. So the host asked if the label of “Gen Z” affects him, to which he replied that he has rarely thought about things from a Gen Z or a millennial perspective. “I don’t really know the answer for the Gen Z [question],” replied the Bears QB.
As per Caleb, the credit for Gen Z QBs, like having a veteran aura, goes to the NFL coaches and team owners. He, therefore, thanked the relevant stakeholders for being bold enough to stray away from the traditional route by backing the youth.
“l think the game is in a good spot. The game has transitioned tremendously and to have a lot of young QBs out there starting and playing well… so that’s kudos to the coaches and the organizations and everybody adjusting to the guys you know… being adaptable to those situations and not being one way and being stern.”
Caleb’s appreciation towards the stakeholders suggests that his head is in the right place and his understanding of the hierarchy is on point. It is due to qualities like these that the Bears drafted him number 1 overall this draft.
Such measured, mature responses from Caleb also instill hope in fans who are currently worried about their QB’s ability to deal with pressure. Great things are anticipated to come out of Caleb Williams this season.
