The last time the Chicago Bears made the Super Bowl, Rex Grossman was their starting quarterback. By the end of head coach Ben Johnson’s tenure with the team, he’s hoping Caleb Williams becomes the next.
Grossman’s time with the Bears was truly highlighted by the Super Bowl run. Outside of that year, he never earned more than two wins as a starter in Chicago. Still, his playoff success has earned him a place in Windy City lore.
The former quarterback was impressed by Williams’ during his rookie season, while admitting there is still work to be done in his development. Still, with how the Bears have built the offense around him, Grossman is predicted Williams to throw for 4,200-4,300 yards in 2025, via Card Player. No Chicago quarterback has ever broken the 4,000 yard mark.
“I think he was pretty athletic, had a great arm, accurate. I think he’s trying to figure out being on time. That’s the only issue,” Grossman said. “Obviously he was hurried quite a bit but I think he’s pretty damn good. If he can go and play on schedule within the offense and then when things break down, he’s going to be a superstar because he’s so athletic and shifty. It seems like he loves to throw on the run and make big plays that way, so if he can get a little more of Jared Goff in him and then also do what he does best, he’s going to be phenomenal.”
“It’s a little bit of bad quarterback play, a little bit of organizational identity. In 2025, they’re going to start throwing the ball. It’s just the way the game’s developed,” he continued. “I know during our Super Bowl run, we were ahead in a lot of games and didn’t throw the ball a lot. That really wasn’t our identity. We were more play-action pass, run the ball and quick passes. I did have some big games but the priority of that season wasn’t to put up stats. Stats are great if you have the personnel and the play package to throw the ball a lot. I think they will have a balanced offense and he’ll be around 4,200 or 4,300 yards this year.”
Chicago Bears change the narrative
During that 2006 run to the Super Bowl, Chicago’s defense ranked fifth in the league, allowing 294.1 yards per game. The Bears were loaded with defensive stars such as Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman. Furthermore, the offense was built around a two-headed monster at running back in Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson. Grossman acknowledged that a high-power passing attack just hasn’t been the Bears forte for years.
“Some organizations (moreso than others) have an identity. For a long time, Chicago, because of the wind, the cold and the style of passing success, had kind of been built around the defense,” Grossman said. “Very much, ‘We’re going to build our team off January playoff football, not in a dome with the Greatest Show on Turf and throwing the ball all over the place.”
Things are about to change entering the 2025 season. Johnson and company are still planning on having a strong run game and defense. But Williams will be tasked with throwing early and often. Especially with the number of strong playmakers the Bears have accumulated, the Bears want their quarterback airing the ball out.
With Chicago not making the playoffs since 2020 and not winning a playoff game since 2010, perhaps that change was needed. But it’ll be a different brand of football than Bears fans are accustom to.
Ben Johnson’s arrival
Ultimately, it’ll be up to Williams whether or not the Bears succeed. If he lives up to his No. 1 pick ceiling, Chicago will be much more successful. Johnson’s main prerogative is developing his quarterback and fostering a much more dynamic offense around him.
He proved he can do just that during his time with the Detroit Lions. In his final season as offensive coordinator, quarterback Jared Goff ranked second in passing yards (4,629) and fourth in passing touchdowns (37). The Lions as a whole ranked second in total offense, averaging 409.5 yards per game.
Grossman knows that Johnson won’t suddenly make the Bears world beaters overnight. But he remains confident in the head coach and knows Williams is in a much stronger place to build out his NFL career.
“Yeah. I think that the job that the coach has is to make it easier for him on the easy things – the first-down-play-action passes, get him in a rhythm. The three-step drops, get the ball out of his hands and then shoot it down the field when it’s necessary,” Grossman said. “I’m sure they’re going to do a lot of unique things with him. I’m really excited to watch how they utilize his athletic ability and keep everything on-time in a traditional style offense as well.”
Why Chicago Bears are one of NFL’s most interesting teams entering 2025
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