Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson fired back this Friday at the media frenzy surrounding his star quarterback, Caleb Williams. Johnson was responding to some recent comments from Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, who had joked about how easy it is to motivate his players by pointing out the constant, heavy coverage Williams gets on the NFL’s website compared to the Jags’ lack of it.
Coen’s Jab and Johnson’s Rebuttal
Coen, speaking on 1010 XL, basically threw a little playful shade, highlighting how the Jags barely get covered while Williams is everywhere. It felt like a subtle dig at the pressure cooker environment Williams lives in. But Johnson, ever the calm presence, suggested he is not worried at all about the media attention impacting Williams. He told everyone, “Well, we’re the No. 1 regression candidate, so I think we’ve got plenty of motivation ourselves.” Johnson also added that they have talked about Caleb in the past and Williams is used to handling a lot of attention, so he is not losing sleep over it.
Caleb Williams, Madden Cover Star
It is easy to see why the media cannot get enough of Caleb Williams, though. The kid had an insane 2025 season. After a rocky rookie campaign in 2024, things absolutely clicked when Johnson took over as head coach, fresh off his success as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator. Williams went off, completing 58.1 percent of his passes for 3,942 yards, dropping 27 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. He also hustled for 388 rushing yards and three scores on the ground. Williams dragged the Bears to an 11-6 record, snagging their first NFC North title since 2018 and their first playoff appearance since 2020. Not only that, he led them to their first postseason win since 2010, taking down the Green Bay Packers 31-27 in an NFC Wild Card Round thriller. Even though the Bears eventually fell to the Los Angeles Rams in overtime in the NFC Divisional Round, Williams’ rapid development was the talk of the league. It was zero surprise when he landed on the cover of Madden NFL 27.
The Under-the-Radar Jags
Coen’s point about the Jaguars flying under the radar compared to Williams and the Bears is probably spot on. You do not hear a ton of fanfare around them, even after they went 13-4 and won the AFC South last season. But Coen kind of hinted that he and the Jags prefer it that way. Maybe they do not face the same intense pressure that a budding superstar like Williams gets. We are still early in the season, and it will be fascinating to see if Williams can build on last year’s heroics, or if Johnson’s “regression candidate” talk is a clever bit of psychological warfare to keep the team hungry. You know every snap is gonna be analyzed!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
Leave a Reply