Caleb Williams Calls Out Critics Who Deny Hearing the Noise. He Has a Point.

Caleb Williams is not pretending the haters don’t exist. And honestly, he thinks you shouldn’t either.

The Chicago Bears quarterback, coming off a surprising playoff run that ended in the divisional round last season, was recently named the cover athlete for the latest Madden video game. That move predictably brought out the usual noise from people who still question his game. But Williams isn’t just shrugging it off. He’s calling it what it is.

“You can’t not see them, so all of the people that say that (they don’t hear haters) are liars,” Williams said, via Barstool Sports on X. It’s a blunt take from a 24-year-old who has been under a microscope since his Heisman Trophy days at USC.

But here’s where it gets a little more interesting. Williams also hinted that he keeps receipts on the media members and announcers who go at him too hard. He didn’t name names, but he painted a picture that’s hard to ignore.

“Not going to say any names on here, but there are times when I go back and I listen… there’s reporters and there’s announcers or whatever you want to call them that I remember, and sometimes I shake their hand a little bit harder when I see them in person,” he said.

That’s not quite a threat. But it’s also not nothing. It’s a young star making it clear he’s paying attention.

Williams’ rookie season started rocky. There were accuracy issues, questionable decisions under pressure, and a general sense that the transition from college superstar to NFL franchise guy wasn’t going to be smooth. But then Ben Johnson took over as offensive coordinator, and things changed. Williams cleaned up a lot of the mistakes that plagued his early games. The Bears made a run that nobody really saw coming. They knocked off a couple of teams that should have beaten them. And by the time January rolled around, Chicago was playing meaningful football in the divisional round for the first time in years.

Now Williams is entering Year 2 with a real shot at being an MVP candidate. The Bears have kept their core together. Johnson is back. And Williams sounds like a guy who is done letting criticism slide off his back without a response.

Covering a guy like this is a balancing act. He’s confident, talented, and clearly sharp enough to remember who said what. That’s not a bad thing. But it does mean every throw he makes this upcoming season is going to get magnified. And the people whose hands he intentionally squeezes a little harder are going to be watching.

The 2026 season kicks off in early September. Williams will be under center, on the cover of Madden, and probably hearing plenty more noise. He’s just not going to pretend it’s not there.