Chicago Bears starting quarterback Caleb Williams gave his fans a scare on Saturday when cameras spotted him with a cast on his right throwing hand during the broadcast of the USC-Wisconsin men’s college basketball game.
Rest assured, Bears fans: Williams had a minor procedure and is “fine.”
“#Bears QB Caleb Williams had a cyst removed, which is why he’s wearing a cast on his hand,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed on X on Saturday afternoon in a repost of the now-viral video of Williams at the game. “It’s minor, he’s fine.”
While Rapoport’s update is good news, it is understandable why some fans freaked out.
Williams — the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft — set multiple rookie franchise records during his first season with the Bears, throwing for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also broke the NFL rookie record for most completions without an interception (353) and became Chicago’s first quarterback to start in every game of a 17-game season.
If Williams had sustained a significant injury or needed a major surgery, it would have cast a dark(er) cloud over the franchise amid its search for its next head football coach. Williams is an essential building block for Chicago’s roster and one of the biggest selling points for offensive-minded head coaches looking for jobs during the 2025 hiring cycle.
For now, though, it seems everything is A-OK with Williams early in the NFL offseason.
Caleb Williams Has Detailed To-Do List in Offseason
Assuming nothing lingers with Williams’ hand, the 23-year-old Bears quarterback will head into his first NFL offseason optimistic about aspects of his rookie season but more so ready to get back in the lab and start fixing the things that went wrong in 2024.
He even provided a detailed to-do list in his end-of-year press conference on January 6.
“I’m going to go and work really heavily on my footwork and things like that — rhythm and timing, not hanging on routes,” Williams said. “Some of that comes from film and some of it just comes from reps in the offense, reps in the film room … So, when I get back here I can, when I hear a concept, it’s not thinking about, ‘What drop is this?’ or anything like that.
“Then football wise … I’m going to work heavily on the defense and fronts and the shell of the defense and then also protections. Dive really heavily into those because if I can help protect myself, it gives us better opportunities to attack downfield or find those holes and gaps within the defense when they blitz or when they want to do crazy coverages and things like that.”
The Bears will share the burden of better protecting Williams in 2025. While Williams can develop better tendencies to avoid taking unnecessary sacks, the Bears must also work on putting a sturdier offensive line in front of him. All three of Chicago’s interior starters — Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, Matt Pryor — will hit free agency in March.
Caleb Williams Hoping for ‘Offensive-Minded’ Coach
The Bears are also keeping Williams at the forefront of their minds while searching for their next head coach after firing Matt Eberflus from the post in late November.
Through the first two weeks of their search, the Bears have completed interviews with at least 15 known candidates, many of them offensive-minded. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy are two of the headliners, but they also recently held virtual interviews with both Joe Brady (Buffalo’s offensive coordinator) and Todd Monken (Baltimore’s offensive coordinator).
While Williams has said he has “complete faith” in the Bears’ front office to make the right decision in their coaching search, he admitted he would prefer an offensive hire.
“Selfishly, I want an offensive-minded guy so I can build with him and be with that coach for the next 19, 17, 15 years,” Williams said during an appearance on the “St. Brown Podcast” on January 15. “So I can also learn and grow and things like that from him and what he’s seen and what he’s gone through with other QBs or been around.”
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Bears QB Caleb Williams Injury Details Revealed After Concerning Video