Last weekend’s thrilling comeback over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card round marked the 35th game that Caleb Williams has started for the Chicago Bears.
And as far as Gerald McCoy is concerned, he’s already seen enough to proclaim the second-year signal-caller the greatest quarterback in the history of the franchise.
“He’s the best Chicago Bears quarterback ever,” the former All-Pro defensive tackle said on Monday’s episode of The Arena. “He’s got the rookie passing record. He’s got the most touchdowns over the first two years. He’s got more comebacks in this year than any quarterback ever. He’s got the playoff passing record. He’s got the single-season passing record.”
Admittedly, Williams doesn’t face much opposition in this category, as Chicago has famously struggled at quarterback throughout its history. Still, co-host Aqib Talib was quick to point to the quarterback of the Bears’ 1985 Super Bowl-winning team in Jim McMahon, stating that it’s unfair to compare quarterback numbers that are 40 years apart from each other.
“You can’t compare his stats to his stats,” Talib said. “Jim McMahon’s receivers was in three-point stances.”
Is Caleb Williams already the best Bears QB of all-time? 😳 pic.twitter.com/Vc2aRy5cDN
— The Arena: Gridiron (@ArenaGridiron) January 13, 2026
After McCoy asked Talib whether he thinks Caleb Williams is better than Jim McMahon, the former Pro Bowl cornerback said that he needs to see Williams win a Super Bowl before agreeing with that assessment. McCoy, meanwhile, remained undeterred, stating that he believes the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft has the ability to be the league’s top overall quarterback sooner rather than later.
Skip Bayless agreed, expressing his belief that Williams is in a “different stratosphere” from McMahon. He also downplayed the former BYU star’s resume as a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, noting that it was Chicago’s defense that did nearly all of the heavy lifting four decades ago.
Ultimately, The Arena crew appeared to be engaged in two separate arguments: McCoy believes that Williams is the most talented quarterback in Bears history, while Talib is still willing to defer to McMahon based on his overall resume. The fact that such an argument could even be taking place before Williams’ second season has come to an end is probably a pretty good indicator that this conversation won’t be a debate for much longer.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.