Gerald McCoy tormented quarterbacks for a decade in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers, earning six Pro Bowls and a First Team All-Pro honor across his impressive career. Anytime an accomplished NFL veteran reflects on current players in the league, it’s worth listening, which is why I was delighted to read McCoy’s thoughts on Caleb Williams.
“Caleb is immensely talented,” McCoy explained. “He’s almost overly-talented, what he can do throwing a football and what he can do with
his legs. As soon as he gets to the point where he can relax and learn how to simplify the game, Caleb Williams will be the best quarterback in the NFL. Yes, I just said it. He’s that talented.”
Let me repeat that – Caleb Williams will be the best quarterback in the NFL (emphasis mine). That’s a declarative statement on what McCoy believes will happen in the near future for the young gunslinger.
He went on to make a point that many Bears fans have made (maybe out loud, maybe whispered in polite company, or maybe just in their heads) about the Caleb Williams – Ben Johnson pairing:
“Ben Johnson is going to be a big part of it. Being in Chicago, being with Ben Johnson, it’s the perfect pairing. They both have to grow as coach and player.
“It’s like Mahomes. If you take Mahomes away from Andy Reid, I don’t know if we get the same Mahomes. He’s talented and always was. Andy Reid has never had a bad quarterback because of the coach he is. He turns these guys into really, really good players. And when you give him a talent like Mahomes, this is what you get. Ben Johnson is that level of talent and offensive mind. If they both grow together, yes, I believe it will happen.”
For those waking up from a coma, the Kansas City Chiefs made seven straight conference championship games from 2018-2024, reaching five Super Bowls, winning three. Anytime the names Mahomes and Reid are invoked, you have to at least sit up straight in your seat.
The Bears have a long way to go to win their second franchise Super Bowl, let alone come close to matching the most recent dynasty… but dreaming is free and it’s July 1st. Put these thoughts from McCoy in your pocket and take them out for a dopamine hit next time you need a pick-me-up this summer.
