Caleb Williams jogged off the field for the final time this season to a standing ovation from thousands of fans that remained in Soldier Field's northeast corner minutes after a heartbreaking overtime loss that ended the Bears' thrilling 2025 campaign.
The quarterback, who, as safety Kevin Byard III put it, "ignited this city" during his sophomore season, pumped his fist to the crowd before disappearing into the tunnel as a "Let's go, Bears!" chant rang out.
It was a fitting way for Williams to exit Soldier Field Sunday night, because despite falling to the Rams 20-17 in the Divisional Round, he still received love from the city of Chicago and gratitude from Bears fans for helping lead the franchise to their best finish since 2010.
"It was awesome," Williams said of this season. "It was a really fun year, one of my more fun years of being able to play football. Between the growth, the hard times, the good times, and just being able to be in the locker room with the guys that we had and the guys that are going to be here, I'm excited. I'm proud of our guys.
"I appreciate the city of Chicago. I appreciate the Chicago Bears, the organization, and I truly appreciate the coaches and their sacrifice and, obviously, my teammates."
Williams' teammates, even during a time of disappointment and shock in the locker room after Sunday's game, turned that sentiment right back toward him.
"That guy, he's special," veteran defensive lineman and captain Grady Jarrett said. "I'm so excited to have him as my quarterback, and it's just the beginning for him, man. I mean, that fight, the resiliency, and just the raw talent, and the belief, I think the sky is the limit for him. We are so proud of him — to see his growth from the first day of OTAs, 'til now, in the new system, and the way he was able to lead us, grow as a leader, I'm proud of him.
"Even more than the football part of it, just observing him, like a big bro, I haven't known for a long time, but to see the growth and the maturity that he displayed and the resiliency and the fight, I'm super proud of Caleb."
Williams finished with 257 passing yards, completing 23 of 42 passes and throwing two touchdowns and a career-high three interceptions, including one in overtime.
"It's tough," Williams said. "Being in that locker room – the best moments [are] being in that locker room after games and after wins and being with the guys that you all have a common goal. You all sacrifice family time and all that you sacrifice to be in this position, to be in those moments. It's tough. In these moments, you feel that you let your team down.
"It's a good lesson learned for us, first time being in this situation for me and for us as a team. I'm excited for what's to come. But obviously going to go back and watch this and figure out how I can be better, and that's the exciting part."
Williams helped facilitate an NFL-record seven comeback victories this season and nearly pulled off an eighth Sunday.
"He's got that about him," coach Ben Johnson said. "He's got a knack. He's clutch. He did so many good things. He's an eraser."
On fourth-and-four, with 27 seconds remaining in regulation, the Bears down 17-10 and their season on the line, Williams once again delivered a jaw-dropping, unforgettable play.
Williams took the shotgun snap, dropped back, and within a couple of seconds, faced pressure that forced him out of the pocket. He completely turned his back to the play to sprint back 15 yards before turning himself around and heaving a deep ball off his back foot.
The ball fell perfectly over the shoulder of tight end Cole Kmet, who came open in the back left corner of the end zone.
"Felt like a pretty easy pitch and catch," Kmet said. "It kind of felt like it was in slow motion. I can't believe Caleb — again, just the nutty throws he can make."
A Cairo Santos extra point later, and Williams had done the unthinkable once again. And despite the interception Williams threw in overtime, which led to the Rams' game-winning field goal, his teammates focused on praising his ability to tie the game and send it to overtime.
"It was the most special throw I've ever seen," Byard said. "I've seen him do it so many times this year … That was insane. It left us speechless on the sideline for sure."
Bears on both sides of the ball have routinely been in awe of Williams' playmaking ability in what always felt like the biggest moments in a game or the season. Each game, it felt as though the 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick had delivered his new "best throw of the season."
Observing Williams morph into "Iceman" this year was extra special for one player in particular: 13-year pro and NFL journeyman Case Keenum, who was brought in this offseason to not only serve as a backup to Williams, but a mentor and coach-like presence.
As one of the few people who saw the work Williams put in for himself and the team day in and day out since the beginning of the offseason, Keenum felt nothing but immense pride while watching from the sideline Sunday night.
"That touchdown today, that's just him, and that's naturally him, and that is phenomenal," Keenum said. "It's unbelievable. It is. I mean, truly, my kids were at this game, and they'll be able to tell people they saw that play. And the cooler part, the better part is the hours and hours and hours of grit, determination, humbleness, drive, focus, intensity — like every adjective that takes to play quarterback, I got to watch him, through ups and downs, attack every single day with Ben Johnson, Declan Doyle, Press Taylor, JT Barrett and our room, to develop into an elite quarterback.
"And I think that play, that's just him making a huge play, but everything in between there, he made leaps and bounds."
Keenum described Williams as "so different in almost every way" and expressed gratitude for being part of Williams' growth journey during the 2025 season. He shared that message with Williams after Sunday's game.
"I had a friend tell me one time — the crappy ones are what make the good ones feel so darn good," Keenum said. "And this was crappy. There's no doubt about it. It sucks. It is no fun. But golly, the highs were really high this year, and they were really fun.
"We're gonna hold this in our hearts and use the pain to persevere through hard workouts and tough times, because we know how close we got, and we know what we're capable of."
Less than an hour after the game ended, Williams remained poised and reflective as usual — a demeanor he has kept through the ups and downs of this exciting rollercoaster season.
While speaking with the media, he expressed disappointment in the season's sudden ending, noting feelings of frustration and a fire within him.
However, Williams also remains excited for the opportunity to learn from this game and keep growing with the young group of core players on the roster. Even more so, Williams is eager to build on the foundation that Johnson established in his first year as head coach, specifically on the pair's relationship that helped drive the Bears' success this season.
"It's grown tremendously," Williams said. "That's something that I wanted to do. That's something that was very important for me because I want to be here for a while, and I know [Johnson] wants to be here for a while. Just being able to attack our relationship and bond and trust between each other was really important for us, to be able to help be in this position as a team, and to be able to be in this position many times in the future."
