The Chicago Bears were established in 1920, and have seemingly been looking for a quarterback ever since. They are the only NFL team that has never had a 4,000 yard passer in the history of their franchise, as defense was often their identity in their formidable years.
But that could all be changing in 2025, as Caleb Williams seeks to be the first to hit the elusive mark.
Caleb Williams Can Rewrite Chicago Bears History In 2025
A couple have flirted with the plateau. In 1995, Erik Kramer threw for 3,838 yards, the closest that anyone has ever come to 4k in a Bears uniform. Jay Cutler eclipsed 3,600 yards on three different occasions, but never made it over the hump. The 5th-highest single-season yardage total for a Chicago QB was last year during Williams’ rookie season.
Caleb Williams deserves more praise man pic.twitter.com/XtmXf2T20p
— Dave (@dave_bfr) October 14, 2025
Through the first five games of the season, Williams is on a pace that would just sneak him by. Under new offensive-minded head coach Ben Johnson, the second-year signal caller is averaging 235.8 yards per game, nearly 30 better than in 2024. Over a full 17-game regular season slate, that would come out to 4,054 total yards.
Before the season, Williams said that one of his goals for 205 was to reach the 4,000 yard mark:
“Being the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history, that’s a goal of mine. Seventy-percent completion, that helps the team, keeps us on the field, puts us in better positions. And then other than that, just trying to go down and score the most points that we can with each drive that we have.”
Under Johnson, the Bears have showed improvement throughout the team. Offensively, the Bears are aiming to lean into their passing identity more than in seasons past. But that shift brings vulnerabilities: pass protection must hold up, receivers must make contested catches, and Williams must grow in his decision-making under pressure.
Caleb Williams is on pace to be the ONLY Bears QB to throw for over 4,000 yards.
This was the calmest I’ve seen him play in a hostile, rainy environment. He’s getting more comfortable in the scheme & that’s scary for teams.
Full breakdown on Patreon: https://t.co/nF9VzEw7xy pic.twitter.com/VwNamjwmpH
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) October 14, 2025
After Monday night’s big win over the Washington Commanders, they are sitting with a winning record at 3-2, but are still at the bottom of the NFC North standings.
Luckily for Chicago, they have the easiest remaining schedule of the four teams in the division, including a four-game stretch against the Saints, the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens, the Joe Burrow-less Bengals, and the New York Giants.
