4-Time Pro Bowl QB Says Caleb Williams 'Not Even Close to His Ceiling'
4-Time Pro Bowl QB Says Caleb Williams 'Not Even Close to His Ceiling'
Ahead of the 2026 NFL season, this former player sees a bright future for Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.Pete Martuneac|
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Chicago BearsCaleb Williams' breakout season in 2025 divided most of the NFL world into two camps. On the one side, detractors and some fans from rival teams will point to Williams' sub-60% completion rating and inconsistent play last year as fatal flaws in his game, proof that he's already reached his ceiling in the NFL.
However, others saw 2025 as the floor for Chicago's young quarterback, with a ceiling that remains sky-high. NFL analyst Kay Adams picked Caleb Williams as a dark horse MVP candidate in 2026, and now, former NFL quarterback and four-time Pro Bowler Derek Carr has thrown his support behind Williams. In a recent episode of his Home Grown with David and Derek Carr podcast, Carr says, "The scary part about Caleb Williams is that he's not even close to his ceiling... I think this marriage between Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson, the future is very bright for Chicago."
Understanding Caleb Williams' 2025 season
I would highly recommend watching that entire episode with David and Derek Carr, as the two brothers do a fantastic job of breaking down some of the tape from Williams' 2025 season. They show how Williams has already grown from his underwhelming rookie season, and how much better he could still be as his command of Ben Johnson's offense grows.
Most importantly, the Carr brothers display the context that is necessary to understanding and appreciating Williams' performance last year. Does throwing for just 3,942 yards and completing less than 60% of his passes make for a great season? No, certainly not. However, when you get down to the brass tacks of these stats, you see not only genuine growth in key areas, but also room for significant growth in 2026.
Remember, last year was just Year 1 of the Ben Johnson era. Not only did Williams have to unlearn the bad habits picked up from his rookie year, but he also had to learn a notoriously complex system from scratch. Johnson and his coaches asked Williams to play the quarterback position differently than he ever had before, further complicating things.
You can point to Williams' deficiencies in 2025 as reasons why some of the hype around him is premature, and that's a fair criticism. After all, Williams' appearance on the Madden 27 cover makes him arguably the least accomplished (for now) Madden cover athlete since Peyton Hillis in 2012. But if you see Williams' season stats as his ceiling rather than his floor, then you're not looking at the full picture.
How high is Caleb Williams' ceiling in 2026 and beyond?
Both Kay Adams and Derek Carr expressed their belief that, as good as Williams was in 2025, there's still so much more he can do for the Bears, and I tend to agree. Williams displayed very real problems last year, and some of his performances were downright bad, but as aforementioned, that was his first year with a new head coach and offensive system. It's far more reasonable to believe that that was the worst we'll ever see from Williams under Ben Johnson than to believe that it won't get any better.
After seeing how much Williams improved from his rookie season, particularly in sack avoidance and deep passing, I have full confidence that he can show that same degree of improvement in other areas of his game, such as footwork and accuracy. Remember, Williams fell agonizingly short of becoming Chicago's first 4,000-yard passer by completing only 58.2% of his passes. If that number gets up to just 65%, which is still very average, then Williams will blow past that mark and insert himself firmly into the MVP conversation.
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PETE MARTUNEACA former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
