Three months after their magical 2025 season ended, the Bears reconvened at Halas Hall Monday for the start of their voluntary offseason program.

Since quarterbacking the team to an NFC North title and a scintillating wild card win over the rival Packers, Caleb Williams has been eager to begin preparing for his third NFL season and second under coach Ben Johnson.

"I've been itching to get back, honestly, since the [playoff loss to the Rams] and trying not to text Ben too much or anything like that to be around it," Williams said. "[I'm] excited to be back. I'm excited to be around the guys; been waiting on this day to get back to see the new faces and some of the guys that have been here."

Williams thrived under Johnson's tutelage in 2025, setting a single-season franchise passing record with 3,942 yards and rallying the Bears to win seven games they trailed in the final 2:00, the most by an NFL team since at least 1970.

Williams welcomed Johnson's hard coaching style and knows the intensity level will only increase. That was evident during the quarterback's exit meeting with Johnson following the Bears' divisional playoff loss to the Rams.

"One of the first things we talked about two days after the game was, 'It's going to be more. It's going to be more difficult. I'm going to push you more,'" Williams said. "And my answer [was], 'Yes sir, let's do it.'

"I have a goal. He has a goal. And it aligns with each other. It's making sure we get to that end one. He's going to push me. I'm going to push myself. I'm going to push my teammates. He'll push my teammates.

"We're going to find ways to get better. We're going to find ways to reach what we want to reach. And that starts with the detail. That starts with the every day. That starts with week-to-week finding ways to get better."

Williams was at his best in crunch time last season, regularly displaying his clutch gene with remarkable highlight throws that had to be seen to be believed. The former USC standout also drew comparisons to famous escape artist Harry Houdini for the ability to elude pass rushers and extend plays.

Williams ranked fifth in the NFL with a 27-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio and became the first Bears quarterback to start every game in two straight seasons since 1976-77. Despite the success, however, he was not satisfied.

"It was good for me to be able to see, to be able to feel, to be able to go out there and win games," Williams said. "But that wasn't my goal. That's not my goal. That's not where I want to be. I want to be the best. I want to win. I want to be a world champion, a Super Bowl champion. I want to be the best Bear quarterback, the best quarterback.

"Yes, that was a good steppingstone for me. But that wasn't the last steppingstone. So being able to grow off of last year and being able to progress in ways that I want to, that last year really wasn't anything. It was a good year and we've got many good years coming up."

The huge strides that Williams made in 2025 were evident to all, especially his teammates.

"Caleb's so talented, but I mean I just go back to last year," said tight end Cole Kmet. "His improvement with him as a quarterback and his etiquette in the huddle in terms of giving the play call, making calls at the line of scrimmage, all those pre-snap things that maybe [reporters] or fans don't view as the sexy thing, those are the things that he got really, really good [at] throughout the course of the season.

"And it really helps everybody—all 10 guys, whether it's the offensive line, tight ends, running backs, receivers—do their job at an efficient rate and make decisions a lot quicker. I thought he just continued to progress in that regard and I'm sure he'll pick up from there and continue to excel and really show off that talent."

Williams and the Bears offense are seemingly much further along than they were a year ago when they spent the early stages of the offseason learning verbiage in a new playbook. That should allow them to focus on honing fundamentals this spring.

In addition, the unit boasts continuity, with many key players returning from last season. Earlier this month, Williams worked with a group of skill position teammates at USC that included receivers Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and Jahdae Walker and tight end Colston Loveland.

"Having a young core is fun because you get to have that aspect of growing together and your bond and how tight knit you are, that grows," Williams said. "I was just with them in California at my old school, just working out, laughing, joking, going to dinner, having them over at the house. Those moments, it's not fake. We're all hanging out, we're all laughing. And then we get on the football field, it's time to work also. That part of it is exciting.

"Having the young core, it's also exciting because we know the plan is to be together for a while. We get to grow and build this tight knit relationship between each other and from there, you stick together for a long time and you get to be able to accomplish some pretty cool things together."