Over the last few years, there has never been more anticipation and hype around a rookie QB than for Caleb Williams. The Bears player was drafted number one this season and has already broken the jersey sales record for a rookie. Expectations are rife from the QB with many hoping for a CJ Stroud-esque rookie season for him.
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However, NFL analyst David Helman believes this to be an unfair ask.
What made CJ Stroud’s exploits impressive last season was the unpredictability. Stroud wasn’t the first draft pick. Moreover, he joined a Texans team with a depleted roster and coaching staff filled with first-timers. To join a team in this state as a rookie and have a season of 4,108 passing yards and 23 TDs is phenomenal.
So when David Helman was asked by host Emmanuel Echo on “Speak Live!” if it is fair to expect a similar rookie season like CJ Stroud from Caleb, the analyst immediately shot down the notion, and called such expectations “unfair.”
He explained that what Stroud did in his rookie season was an outlier and that if every first-draft pick is expected to have a Stroud-level rookie season, then it’s “demeaning” the quality of the league. Helman ended his argument by reiterating that “NFL is a tough league” and it’s unfair “to expect Caleb Williams to have a C.J. Stroud type of season.”
While the analyst might have a point, the hype around Caleb Williams is such that it is natural for fans to expect a stellar season from him. However, recent developments around Caleb suggest that apart from the QB turning out to be a flop, Bears fans now have one more reason to worry.
Caleb Williams Not a Loyalist?
The Franchise Tag is a useful tool for the NFL teams to secure their impending free agent for an extra year. The tag is normally used on key players when the teams cannot meet the extension demands due to salary cap issues. It’s a one-year extension but at a settled rate between the parties.
While this is a favorable tool for the teams, players aren’t a big fan of the tag as they are expected to wait a year or two before getting their desired extension. Hence most players who agree to a franchise tag are loyalists for the teams.
However, the latest reports suggest that Caleb Williams has asked for a no-franchise tag clause in his rookie contract with the Bears. But as Mike Florio reported, Chicago shot down the request immediately.
As the news came to light, a few fans were left disheartened as they felt that Caleb had already started thinking about money rather than focusing on a long-term future with the Bears.
