Bears QB Caleb Williams takes clear shot at Spencer Rattler when asked about Oklahoma tenure

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has never lacked confidence, and during a recent appearance on the Pivot Podcast he offered a blunt assessment of the competition that once stood between him and the Oklahoma starting job: fellow QB Spencer Rattler.

Williams, who just completed a breakout second NFL season under new head coach Ben Johnson, traced the biggest pivot of his football life to his true-freshman year in Norman. Despite arriving on campus believing he was the top quarterback on the roster, Williams spent the first half of the 2021 campaign backing up Rattler, then the projected future No. 1 overall pick.

“The most recent one was Oklahoma when I didn’t start, that one was real tough for me,” Williams told the Pivot hosts. “I told many people before I went there that I was going to start and play and beat him out. I thought I beat him out in spring.”

Williams said he repeatedly asked then-head coach Lincoln Riley what more he could do to earn first-team reps, but was told only to “keep going.” The frustration mounted as Rattler kept the job through six games while Williams was relegated to scout-team duty.

“At a certain point I feel like I beat him out,” Williams recalled. “I went up and asked Lincoln again, ‘How can I beat him out?’”

The answer stayed the same: prepare and wait. Williams’s moment arrived midway through the Red River Showdown against Texas. With Oklahoma trailing 35-17 at halftime, Riley turned to the freshman. Williams responded instantly, ripping off a 66-yard touchdown run on his first series and igniting a dormant offense. The Sooners rallied for a 55-48 victory, and Rattler never regained the starting role.

That self-assurance has carried into the NFL. After an uneven rookie year, Williams flourished in 2025, throwing for 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns against only seven interceptions while adding 388 rushing yards and three scores. He engineered six fourth-quarter comebacks, propelling the Bears to an 11-6 record, an NFC North title, and a playoff win over Green Bay before a narrow overtime loss to the Rams in the divisional round.

Williams’s message is unambiguous: when he believes he’s the best option, he expects to play—and he’s willing to back it up.