Caleb Williams has only collected one year’s worth of NFL experience, but the Bears quarterback has already embraced the franchise’s rivalry with the Packers — and the fan base’s hatred toward Green Bay.
During an appearance at Fanatics Fest on Friday, Williams was asked about negative experiences with fans and mentioned Green Bay before delivering a line that prompted some cheers from the audience.
“I mean, they suck,” Williams said.
Williams, whom the Bears drafted with the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, won his lone game in front of Packers fans at Lambeau Field during his rookie season, completing 21 of 29 pᴀsses for 148 yards and a touchdown during Chicago’s 24-22 win.
It snapped a 10-game losing streak for the Bears in 2024 and an 11-game losing streak in the rivalry, though they needed a game-winning field goal in the final seconds after Malik Willis — who took over after Jordan Love exited with an injury — sparked a comeback.
“After the game … we tried to do the Lambeau Leap, tried to jump into the crowd where our fans were,” Williams said at Fanatics Fest. “[Packers fans] just started throwing everything at you, push you off. The Lambeau Leap, it’s a real leap. It’s not a little baby jump, you actually have to high jump, basically. And they’re pushing you, pushing your face.”
Williams also led a “Green Bay sucks” chant last June at Old Crow Smokehouse, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — even though he grew up watching the Packers because of now-Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
This season, the Bears and Packers will meet at Lambeau Field in Week 14 before adding another chapter to the rivalry two weeks later at Soldier Field, with Williams perhaps adding another layer to those showdowns with his recent comment.
Chicago hired Ben Johnson as its new head coach in the offseason, and the new-look Bears offense will attempt to help Williams find a consistent rhythm in his second campaign after struggling at times as a rookie — he threw for just 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns while tossing six interceptions across 17 games.
That led to Matt Eberflus being fired, and the Bears pivoted toward landing Johnson — the mastermind behind the Lions’ offense — and setting him up with a scenario to work with Williams, their franchise quarterback.
