Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams seems thrilled to learn that the newly elected Pope Leo XIV has roots tying him back to the city of Chicago.
Robert Francis Prevost became the first American elected to lead the Roman Catholic Church and its roughly 1.4 million worldwide members on Thursday, choosing the name Pope Leo XIV as the successor to Pope Francis, who died last month at 88.
Quickly, the online celebration about his election started to include jokes and memes about Pope Leo XIV’s Chicago and Midwestern connection — in good, innocent fun. Williams clearly read the room and fired off a fitting two-word response to the news.
“Daaaaaa Pope,” Williams wrote Thursday on his X account, playing off the iconic ‘Da Bears’ ski from Saturday Night Live and further ingratiating himself with his fan base.
Williams didn’t let his fun end there, either. He also posted a photoshopped picture of Pope Leo XIV waving in his traditional cassock, but colored orange and navy and clad with Chicago Bears logos. He also included Frank Sinatra’s ‘Chicago’ for good measure.
Perhaps Chicago’s first pope will see Williams’ post and consider “blessing” the Bears on their quest for a Super Bowl title in 2025 — though, he probably has bigger priorities.
Bears’ Offseason Moves Have Benefitted Caleb Williams
Williams is unsurprisingly in good spirits about the Bears coming into his second year. After all, the team went to work helping build up a better roster around him for 2025.
In the past four months, the Bears have completely changed their outlook on offense. They hired offensive guru Ben Johnson as their new head coach and brought with him a brain trust of new assistants who will assist Williams in his development as a starting quarterback in the NFL. They also acquired several valuable players for the offensive side of the ball, from new veteran offensive linemen to a pair of rookie pass-catchers.
The rebuilt frontlines might provide Williams with the biggest boon in his second year. Before the start of free agency, the Bears agreed to terms on trades to acquire All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney and right guard Jonah Jackson to fortify their interior. They also locked down veteran center Drew Dalman on the first day of free-agent negotiations.
Considering Williams was sacked an NFL-leading 68 times as a rookie — which ties him for the third-most in league history — the new O-linemen are a breath of fresh air.
The Bears also prioritized offense in the 2025 NFL draft last month. They cashed in their first three selections on tight end Colston Loveland (No. 10 pick), wide receiver Luther Burden III (No. 39 pick) and offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo (No. 56). They also added another guard (Luke Newman) and a running back (Kyle Monangai) on Day 3.
Suffice it to say, Williams is having a pretty grand offseason as he prepares for Year 2.
Will Caleb Williams Have a Breakout Season in 2025?
All of the Bears’ big-time offensive additions add up to a single question, though: Will the new coach and new personnel help Williams achieve an NFL breakout in 2025?
Pro Football Focus certainly thinks so. The football analytics website listed Williams as the Bears’ top breakout candidate following the 2025 draft, citing all of the structure the team has built around him this offseason and arguing “there is no reason for Williams not to deliver on his potential as a former first overall pick, starting in 2025.”
ESPN’s Dan Graziano also floated the possibility of Williams entering the conversation as the league’s MVP in 2025, assuming he can take advantage of the Bears’ new tilt toward the offense and take the next step in his development as an NFL quarterback.
“If the protection holds up, Williams is going to have a ton of places he can go with the ball on any particular play, and with Johnson drawing the plays up, this could be as exciting an offense as there is in the league,” Graziano wrote. “There’s always a team that goes from last place to first place in its division from one year to the next.”
For now, all Bears fans can do is watch and wait — and hope — that the team has put the right quarterback in the right situation to finally break the mold. But now that Chicago has its first pope, perhaps its first 4,000-yard passer is not far behind in his wake.
