When you have 30 different starting quarterbacks since 2000, the end of season topic usually revolves around whether that player did enough to prove he is the guy going forward, and has you asking questions like, “What did you see that gives you confidence in the quarterback?” or “What do you want to see to let you know he’s the guy?”

After 20 hours of the end-of-season exit meeting, both coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles took the time to make themselves available to the media and talked about Chicago’s encouraging season, and briefly talked about the upcoming offseason.

What came out was the complete opposite of skepticism regarding Caleb Williams, instead nothing but rave, and optimism that as long as he progresses, Chicago has the opportunity to replicate playoff runs like this season, and possibly deeper ones.

“I’m Caleb Williams No. 1 believer,” Johnson said. “I have a lot of faith in him and what he’s capable of doing and the player he’s still striving to become.”

Johnson started the press conference by saying what was accomplished for the Bears in 2025-26 was hard but not good enough for their ultimate goal, and knows it’s not going to be easy to replicate next season.

“Talked to our guys a little bit on Monday, just in terms of where we are and how we’re moving ahead,” Johnson said. “We go back to square one, it’s back to the bottom again, and we have to build this thing back up. Ryan and I have some really difficult decisions to make over the course of this offseason.”

But what does help in trying to make the playoffs and winning the NFC North a thing the Bears take and never give back is that the guy under center is a franchise guy.

Williams, in the past 48 hours, has been seen showing support for his fellow Chicago teams, attending the Blackhawks game Monday night, and the Bulls game on Tuesday night alongside another emerging Chicago sports figure, Pete Crow-Armstrong.

With the accomplishments of becoming the Bears all-time passing leader with 3,942 passing yards, and leading Chicago to an NFC North title first time since 2018 — capping it off with a memorable playoff run earning the teams first playoff win since the 2010 season — it’s fair to walk around the city knowing you’re the guy, but that their is still work to be done to cement yourself.

“We had a good exit interview, but my main message to him was, he needs to get out of football for a little bit,” Johnson said. “He’s done a phenomenal job in terms of staying focused all year long. He put a lot of time, a lot of effort. I thought he grew up as a professional. I thought his communication to the coaching staff grew. I thought his communication with his teammates grew. But we will certainly have number of points of emphasis that he can dive into when he comes back this springtime.”

Williams finished his second season in the NFL without missing a game, playing in all 19. He ended with 27 touchdown passes, three on the ground, one receiving, seven interceptions, and seven fourth-quarter comebacks, setting a Bears franchise record.

But the big stat that Williams even criticized himself on was his accuracy. Williams finished the season with a 58.1% completion percentage, putting him at the bottom of all 32 starting quarterbacks.

“Every single rep and every single moment I have in the offseason that I’m working out or practicing and getting those practice kind of game reps is where my mindset is going to be,” Williams said. “And so being able to be in the offense for a year, being able to be comfortable in the offense now, and being able to look at, you know, things I could’ve done better. Was I too far forward, or too far back? Was I not consistent enough with my footwork, and did I lean off and fall off the mound?”

“So it’s just super small things to be able to be more consistent for the guys, for the team be able to keep the offense on the field as long as possible and be as efficient as possible,” he said.

Williams delivered a season that left the Bears with more memories than Chicago has had in the last 20 years. While the playoffs were rejuvenating for the city and the fans, the frustration of Williams’ interception in overtime, and the slow-moving, silent crowd following the loss, is a reminder that the Bears are still not yet a Super Bowl team, and that none of what happened in 2025 is guaranteed for the future.

Poles appreciated what Williams did this season, and even found out more about the quarterback he drafted two seasons ago, first overall.

“When you watched his college tape, you knew that some of the those wild throws were part of his game, I would sat the one thing that stands out, that I was happy to see come back, was just his pocket presence,” Poles said. “His ability to escape, I think that’s a rare trait that he has. You saw that come alive. With that being said, Ben hit it —  there’s still a lot of work to be done. But I think he gets you excited about what he can become if he continues on that path.”

The Bears finally have their guy that gets put into conversation of, “There are only 2-3 guys in this league that can make that throw,” or “I believe that in the next three years the Chicago Bears will win a Super Bowl.”

When in year two, he has a nickname, “Iceman,” has the city drinking venti matcha with wired headphones and pained nails, you know you have something different, something the city of Chicago has been dreaming of, and it’s the least of the general manager’s worries heading into the offseason.