Exclusive: Troy Aikman makes bold Caleb Williams claim on Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers comparisons
Three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Troy Aikman is very high on Chicago Bears rookie Caleb Williams . The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft has had an up-and-down rookie season in the NFL, leading the Bears to a 4-4 record through the midway point of the season. However, he's shown flashes of his greatness , including his four-touchdown performance in a Week 6 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
While Williams has come back down to earth a little over the past two games — he's failed to throw a touchdown pass and the Bears have lost two consecutive — Aikman says the 22-year-old quarterback is a unique one. In fact, when mentioned about the comparison of Williams to four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers , Aikman says that he would compare the Bears franchise quarterback to "no one."
"No one," Aikman says in a one-on-one interview on behalf of his partnership with Salad and Go when asked who he would compare Caleb Williams to. "There have been comparisons to Patrick Mahomes and Aaron (Rodgers). I just think he's really gifted. He's mobile, he's able to extend plays. He is like Patrick, he can make the throws from a lot of different platforms and places, from within the pocket or outside the pocket."
The Bears may have a difficult time clinching a playoff berth considering they play in the only division in football where all four teams have at least a .500 record. It doesn't help matters that Chicago has by far the toughest remaining strength of schedule (.632) in the NFL.
While Williams may go through his struggles during the second half of the season, it doesn't detract from Aikman's opinion of the youngster. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback says he's a "big fan" of Williams.
"I just think he's an extremely talented guy and I expect them to have a hell of a career regardless of whatever the rest of the season may or may not look like," says Aikman of Caleb Williams. "I just think he's intensely talented. I do think they've got some good players and they'll continue to get players around him, which is only going to help him. But I'm a big fan."
Williams obviously doesn't have the gaudy numbers that Mahomes and Rodgers posted early in their careers — Mahomes posted 50 touchdowns and won MVP during his first season as starter while Rodgers posted over 4,000 yards passing — he certainly has a skill set very similar to the aforementioned all-time great quarterbacks, considering his ability to throw from all angles.
The Caleb Williams-led Bears will look to snap their two-game losing streak when they host the New England Patriots in Week 10. Seven of their remaining nine games are against teams with at least a .500 record.
