After a spectacular breakthrough campaign in 2025, Caleb Williams enters the new NFL season firmly established as one of the league's brightest stars – and a legitimate contender for the NFL Most Valuable Player award.
Williams – currently priced at 14/1 to win MVP with bet365 – led the Chicago Bears to an NFC North title and its first playoff victory since 2011 in only his second season with the team in 2025 – transforming Da Bears from rebuilding project into genuine contender under first-year head coach Ben Johnson.
The franchise quarterback finished the year with 3,942 passing yards, 27 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions – breaking a bunch of team records – while showcasing the kind of clutch gene that separates good quarterbacks from great ones.
Perhaps the strongest argument for Williams' MVP candidacy is his remarkable ability to deliver when the pressure is at its highest. No quarterback was more dangerous in crunch time during the 2025 season that the man now dubbed as ‘Iceman’.
Williams led the Bears to six fourth-quarter comeback victories during the regular season, repeatedly rescuing Chicago from seemingly impossible situations. His dramatic overtime victory against the rival Green Bay Packers became one of the defining moments of the season after the Bears erased a 10-point deficit, with Williams throwing the game-tying touchdown before delivering the game-winning strike to DJ Moore in overtime.
He then followed that up in the playoffs by engineering another thrilling comeback against Green Bay, erasing a huge deficit to secure Chicago's first postseason win in over a decade.
Those performances earned Williams a reputation as one of football's premier clutch QBs. His poise under pressure, combined with his ability to extend plays and create explosive moments outside the pocket, has drawn comparisons with many of the league's elite signal-callers.
That rising profile is reflected off the field as well. Williams has quickly become one of the faces of the NFL, highlighted by his selection as the cover athlete for Madden NFL 27 - an honour traditionally reserved for the game's biggest superstars.
Of course, winning MVP is never easy. Quarterbacks dominate the award, and Williams will face fierce competition from several established stars – the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford.
For Williams, team success will likely determine whether individual brilliance translates into MVP honours. Voters have consistently rewarded quarterbacks whose teams finish among the NFL's elite, meaning another division title – or perhaps the NFC's top seed – would significantly strengthen his candidacy.
The Bears appear well positioned to build on last year's momentum under head coach Johnson, whose offensive system unlocked Williams' immense potential. Another offseason together should only improve the chemistry between quarterback, coaching staff and an increasingly talented supporting cast.
The combination of statistical production, highlight-reel playmaking and undeniable star power makes Williams one of the league's most compelling MVP candidates. His ability to thrive in high-pressure moments has already become his trademark, and if he can turn those late-game heroics into another double-digit-win season, the MVP conversation may ultimately revolve around him.
At just 24 years old, Caleb Williams is no longer simply the future of the NFL. This season, he has every opportunity to prove that he is its most valuable player in the entire league.