Caleb Williams is trying to distance himself from always-unfair Patrick Mahomes comparison

In the modern NFL, quarterbacks have played the position with their own artistic style and unique flare. There is still a right and a wrong way to play the position, but statuesque pocket passers, scrambling athletes and structureless showmen have all found a way to thrive.

When the Chicago Bears selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, they knew they were getting a quarterback who enjoyed painting outside the lines. 

Williams made his living from broken plays and off-platform throws, and he showcased on Saturday that his skillset can translate to the professional level. The rookie dazzled as he led Chicago to a 27-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the second preseason game of his career.

Caleb Williams doesn’t want to be compared to Patrick Mahomes

Much of the buzz surrounding Williams has to do with his artistic resemblance to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

It’s easy to see the stylistic similarities between the two quarterbacks, but Williams shut down the comparisons when he was asked about Mahomes after the game.

“To your question, it's respect,” Williams said. “It's cool and all, but I'm Caleb Williams. Patrick Mahomes is Patrick Mahomes. Tyreek Hill is Tyreek Hill. Much love to them and things like that. I met them, talked to them both, things like that, but we're here to win games for the Chicago Bears.”

Rightly so, Williams is trying to distance himself from the lofty expectations and unfair criticism that would come with the comparison. Although Williams may not want to entertain comparisons, Mahomes may have paved the way for the Bears quarterback to thrive.

Williams has been touted as a generational prospect, but that may not have been the case just a few years ago. Historically, playing out of structure was frowned upon in the NFL.

Mahomes fell in the 2017 NFL Draft due to concerns about his decision-making and off-schedule tendencies. While those issues have still haunted him at times in the NFL, it certainly didn’t take long for him to become accustomed to the league. Ever since Mahomes captivated audiences during the 2018 season, envious teams have been looking for their own version of the three-time Super Bowl champion.

If Mahomes hadn’t succeeded, it’s hard to imagine Williams would have been drafted as highly as he was.

He provided the fans at Soldier Field with a glimpse of his magic near the end of the first half of his preseason performance on Saturday. On a second-and-10 from midfield, Williams spun out of the pocket and rolled left. As he approached the sideline, he contorted his body to throw a beautiful pass to rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze for a 45-yard gain.

Williams was far from perfect, however. On the same play, he stared down Odunze too long and missed the correct read to his right for an easy first-down completion. There were other occasions where he held onto the ball too long or became fixated on one particular target.

There are certainly reaching moments from the game, but the positives outweighed the negatives. After all, Mahomes wasn’t perfect right away either.