Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Caleb Williams

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Caleb Williams made an impact.

Caleb Williams is an American professional football quarterback currently playing for the Chicago Bears of the NFL. After a year with the Oklahoma Sooners, he transferred to USC where he won the Heisman Trophy in 2022, setting school records for passing yards and touchdowns. Williams was the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, selected by the Bears. As a rookie, he achieved multiple franchise rookie passing records, marking a promising start to his NFL career.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

1983: Tied Record for Quarterbacks Taken in First Round

In the 2024 NFL draft, Caleb Williams was selected first overall by the Chicago Bears. The draft was tied with the 1983 draft for the most quarterbacks taken in the first round in NFL history.

2002: First QB selected first overall to win opening debut

Caleb Williams was the first quarterback selected first overall to win their season-opening NFL debut since 2002, completing 14-of-29 passes for 93 yards with no touchdowns or turnovers in a 24–17 win against the Tennessee Titans.

2009: First Bears Quarterback to Start Every Game in a Season

Caleb Williams ended his first NFL season with multiple Bears rookie passing records including completions, yards, and touchdown passes. He was also the first Bears quarterback to start every game in a season since Jay Cutler in 2009 despite being sacked a franchise-high 68 times, the third most in NFL history.

2018: WCAC Championship

In 2018, as a sophomore, Caleb Williams led Gonzaga College High School to a WCAC Championship with a game-winning hail mary pass. He was also named Washington Post All-Metropolitan 1st team and Washington, D.C. Gatorade Football Player of the Year.

2018: Win Against Green Bay Packers

Williams led a game-winning drive in the season finale to snap the Bears' ten-game losing streak and their 11-game skid to the Green Bay Packers, marking their first win against them since 2018.

2019: All-Metropolitan 1st Team

In 2019, as a junior, Caleb Williams was named Washington Post All-Metropolitan 1st team for the second consecutive year. He also earned the Elite 11 finals MVP the following summer.

2020: Win Streak

After a 1-2 start, Williams led victories over the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers, throwing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns against Carolina, becoming the first Bears rookie quarterback with multiple 300+ yard games. In week 6 in London, Williams threw four touchdown passes in a 35–16 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, leading Chicago to their first three-game win streak since 2020 heading into the bye week.

2021: Starting Quarterback for Oklahoma Sooners

In 2021, Caleb Williams began as a backup for the Oklahoma Sooners before taking over as starting quarterback midway through the season after leading the team to a comeback victory against the Texas Longhorns. He finished his freshman year with 21 passing touchdowns, six rushing touchdowns, and four interceptions.

January 3, 2022: Enters Transfer Portal

On January 3, 2022, Caleb Williams entered the transfer portal.

2022: Heisman Trophy Winner

In 2022, Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy after setting single-season school records in passing yards and touchdowns while playing for the USC Trojans.

2023: Regular Season Performance

In 2023, Caleb Williams and the Trojans went 7–5 during the regular season. He threw for 3,333 yards with 31 passing and 11 rushing touchdowns.

2024: Declares for NFL Draft

Following the 2023 season, in 2024, Caleb Williams declared for the NFL draft after throwing for nearly 10,000 yards with 120 total touchdowns in his college career.

2024: Selected First Overall in NFL Draft

In 2024, Caleb Williams was selected first overall by the Chicago Bears in the NFL draft, subsequently setting several franchise rookie passing records.

2024: NFL Draft Projections

In 2024, Caleb Williams was widely projected to be one of the first players selected in the NFL draft and the top quarterback in the draft class. Analysts touted his improvisational abilities but noted concerns about his size and tendency to play "hero ball".