Caleb Williams had a hard 2024 season. And that’s an understatement. The guy led his team to a 5-12 season that left the Bears fans in utter dismay. The booing he received as he walked out of the field was by no means a sign of faith in the franchise. It wasn’t all his fault; he was a rookie coming into the big leagues, and he didn’t have proper guidance. But in the big leagues, results are all that matter. And that’s exactly what Williams couldn’t deliver.

The 2024 drafts were the first time the Bears had chosen a first-round QB since way back in 2017. But all that hype quickly changed to deep sighs after the Bears’ 10-game losing streak. Imagine a guy coming off a college career that had 10 losses total, only to lose the same amount in a row in the NFL. Quarterbacks are in a league of their own when it comes to public scrutiny. First-rounders – even more so than anyone else. Caleb Williams discovered that fast, and the winds from the Windy City weren’t so pleasant anymore. And now, his future is drawing question marks from analysts.

On the Mully and Haugh Show recently, Ross Tucker joined to share his thoughts on the matter. Tucker discussed how Caleb Williams needs to address the speculations surrounding the latest controversy. As per a book coming out in September by Seth Wickersham, Williams didn’t want to go to the Bears. Even his dad, Carl Williams, had reportedly said, “Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die – I don’t want my son playing for the Bears.” As Tucker put it, “I couldn’t tell a couple of those quotes, if they were direct from Caleb to Seth, or it was what Caleb said to his dad, when his dad relayed that.” But that’s not all Tucker is worried about. He understands the hype around Williams, “he might end up being what the Bears haven’t had in forever, which is a longtime franchise quarterback, top 10 guy…” But there’s a very big catch.

According to Ross Tucker, Caleb might not be the starting QB for the Bears in a few years. He said, “if I had to bet, you know, if Caleb Williams is going to be the Bears starting quarterback in three years, I’d probably bet No.” Yikes! Right? But Tucker has a justification for this cold prediction: “it’s like the sacks he takes. And that went back to college. – hard for quarterbacks to get rid of that. If they have a tendency to take a lot of sacks. – Listen, Bears fans are incredible. I hope he’s awesome. I hope the Bears are awesome. It’d be fun if the Bears were back in the playoffs. But I’d be lying to you guys if I didn’t tell you I had my doubts.” So, he’s got to avoid the sacks. Just last season, Williams was sacked a whopping 68 times, third-highest in the league.

The new HC Ben Johnson is doing whatever he can to improve Caleb Williams’ play. But that doesn’t erase the sting of last season, still fresh in the fans’ memory. While analysts and veterans like Ross Tucker believe he might not be the starter three years down the line, that might happen sooner if his performance doesn’t improve this season. After all, there’s already been a call to action to bench Williams in the recent past.

Will history repeat itself for Caleb Williams?

To say Caleb Williams got some heat last season doesn’t even do justice to what really happened. After the Bears lost to the Seahawks to get their 10th loss in a row, there wasn’t any writing on the wall. There was anguish, tears of rage, and an absolute storm in the Windy City. The criticism on the Internet was so palpable that you couldn’t go a minute without coming across a hate post. Caleb Williams threw a pass that flew over Keenan Allen’s head and into the intercepting arms of Riq Woolen. That’s not the play you want to see in the last minute of a game that could’ve easily been a draw. But that wasn’t where it started. Things began spiraling much before that.

As November rolled around, things were already looking bad in the Bears’ locker room. Somebody had to go, and it was the OC Shane Waldron, who took the first fall. But along with Waldron, Caleb Williams caught some strays, too. As ESPN’s Marc Silverman had reported at the time, “After talking to a few people with knowledge of the situation, players went to Matt Eberflus & Ryan Poles asking them to make a change at offensive coordinator. There have also been a few veteran players requesting [Tyson] Bagent starts.” The Bears wanted Tyson Bagent under center. They went to GM Poles and then HC Eberflus to do something about their OC as well as QB1. But while Waldon went away, Caleb Williams didn’t get benched. And a 5-12 season remains as a tragedy no Bears fan will ever forget in a hurry.

So, now the question is, will the Bears face a similar crossroads this year as well? Will the veterans go to Ben Johnson and ask him to make the change? If Caleb Williams’ plays in the first preseason game against the Dolphins show cracks, it’ll be a rough road ahead. Will this be the end of Williams’ career as the Bears’ starter, or will he have a shot at redemption? What do you think?