NFL Insider Reveals Big Changes in Trade Value of Bears QB Caleb Williams

When the Chicago Bears selected Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, expectations were sky-high. After a rookie season alternately filled with flashes of brilliance and frustrating mistakes, what’s the narrative around the young QB heading into Year 2?

In terms of how valuable he is, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell assessed the trade value of the best players for all 32 NFL teams, and he thinks Williams would be worth at “two first-round picks and more” in a potential trade.

Barnwell also believes Williams’ value has dropped a bit since his rookie season.

“The Bears wouldn’t have taken anything close to this for him a year ago, but that was then,” Barnwell wrote, before expounding further.

More From Bill Barnwell on Caleb Williams’ Trade Value

GettyChicago Bears QB Caleb Williams’ trade value is still very high, according to Bill Barnwell.

 

To be clear, Barnwell wasn’t making any wild trade projections or proclamations — he was merely gauging how valuable each team’s best players might be.

Because of his yet-untapped potential, Barnwell believes Williams is still Chicago’s most valuable player.

“He struggled through a dismal rookie season, and while it’s fair to chalk up some of his woes to an underwhelming scheme and seemingly uninterested playmakers, he deserves plenty of the blame for what went wrong,” Barnwell wrote, adding:

“Indulging the worst elements of his game most weeks and eventually losing his confidence, Williams wasn’t reliably creating within the offense, and his attempts to improvise often proved disastrous. And yet, he was the consensus first overall pick and a potential superstar quarterback prospect. While Williams has essentially wasted a year of a bargain rookie contract, he’s still on a team-friendly deal for up to four more years.”

A Look Back at Caleb’s Rookie Year

In 2024, Williams started all 17 games for the Bears, despite getting sacked a franchise-record 68 times. Still, his stats were respectable considering the tumult he went through on and off the field, with the team’s coaching multiple changes occurring on top of everything else.

He completed 351 of 562 passes (62.5 %) for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and just six interceptions, posting a passer rating of 87.8. He also added 489 rushing yards and had an impressive streak where he set an NFL rookie record for most passes thrown (326) without an interception.

The Ben Johnson Factor Should Help

When the Bears hired Ben Johnson as head coach in 2025, it signaled Chicago was aiming to make Williams’ development a primary focus. Johnson, previously the architect of the Detroit Lions‘ high-powered offense, has immediately pushed Williams to sharpen both his presnap reads and his footwork. He also moved Caleb under center for the first time in the QBs young career.

So far in training camp, Johnson has set a tough tone, and he hasn’t gone easy on Williams or anyone else. That could be a very good thing.

That said, the new Bears coach has also stressed that Williams will have growing pains, and that’s okay. Johnson has publicly set ambitious goals for Caleb: He’d like to see the QB’s completion rate hit around 70 % while also increasing yards per pass attempt.

Many fans and analysts still view Williams as having immense potential. And, until he proves otherwise, he should be viewed as a high-ceiling quarterback with loads of untapped potential. If he can break out in Year 2, his value is going to skyrocket, and he’ll be worth even more on Barnwell’s list next year.