One Throw Convinced Former Player Caleb Williams Is Aaron Rodgers
All the talk about comparisons going into the draft regarding Caleb Williams was the same. Everybody saw Patrick Mahomes when watching him at USC. The arm strength, accuracy, and improvisational playmaking on the run were dead ringers for the Kansas City Chiefs superstar. However, Williams didn’t see it that way. Mahomes wasn’t the guy he modeled his game after in high school and college. That was Aaron Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers legend was somebody he felt embodied everything great about playing quarterback.
Bears fans weren’t ready to accept that idea. Rodgers had tortured their franchise for years. Having watched Williams for most of 2023, it never felt like he was emulating what made Rodgers special during his prime. However, things have changed. Former Chicago Bears wide receiver Tom Waddle has watched a lot of football in his life. He revealed on ESPN 1000 that one throw against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London confirmed to him that Williams being compared to Rodgers is very much justified.
Caleb Williams flashed the accuracy that made Rodgers special.
The throw Waddle referenced came at the start of the 4th quarter. Chicago led 21-10 and were knocking at the door on Jacksonville’s 3-yard line. Rather than run the ball on 2nd and goal, Williams appears to change the play. He ends up calling a corner fade route to Keenan Allen. The six-time Pro Bowler runs a beautiful route to create separation and Williams lofts the ball at just the right trajectory to hit him in the hands as he’s going out of bounds. It was a thing of beauty.
Rodgers has been making throws like that for most of his career. His ability to put the ball where only the receiver can get it is legendary. That throw to Garrett Wilson earlier this year is merely the latest among dozens upon dozens of examples. Caleb Williams has a long way to go before he can be considered anywhere close to Rodgers’ level. That said, the similarities are getting scary. If that is who the Bears have ultimately drafted, the entire future of the franchise is about to change.