Caleb Williams 'Extremely Grateful' to Be Named Bears Captain Ahead of Rookie Season

Caleb Williams understands it's an honor to be named one of the captains of the Chicago Bears as a rookie.

"I'm extremely grateful," the quarterback said Wednesday, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "I can't really think of how many rookies are captains, especially with a team so talented like this. With a lot of, I guess you can say vet guys.

"We're a pretty young team but we obviously have a good amount of vets on this team, so to be named a captain by my peers and colleagues, my teammates and my friends and brothers I'm extremely grateful, extremely happy and something I told them as soon as I got to be able to break it down or talk to them and things like that, so. You know, ready to go. Fired up. Extremely grateful and we're excited."

Chicago revealed its captains Monday, and Williams was joined by notable veterans such as DJ Moore, Jaylon Johnson and Tremaine Edmunds, among others:

Being named a captain indicates that Williams has already won the respect of his teammates in the locker room. But it also highlights just how high expectations will be for the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft in his first season.

The Bears have struggled to find a franchise quarterback throughout their existence and remain the only NFL team to never have a signal-caller throw for 4,000 yards or 30 touchdowns in a single season.

That Williams is talented enough to become the first to do both with a supporting cast of playmakers that could be among the NFL's best only elevates those expectations.

He will be throwing to Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett and D'Andre Swift this season, while a defense that closed the 2023 campaign out well brought back many of its key pieces. Chicago is eyeing the playoffs, but it will need its quarterback and captain to deliver.

Williams' journey toward doing exactly that starts Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.