Caleb Williams Reveals Why Ben Johnson Scraps Plays He Doesn’t Like

Caleb Williams revealed on Wednesday that Bears head coach Ben Johnson will scrap a play from the game plan if the quarterback doesn't like it.

Williams said the process starts when Johnson calls a play and Williams feels uncertain about it.

"If he calls something and I don't like it, we go up into his office," Williams told reporters.

"We sit down, we talk about it, he shows me clips, and if I still don't like it... he won't call it."

That level of quarterback input is rare in the NFL.

Most head coaches, especially offensive-minded ones, install their system and expect the quarterback to execute it.

Johnson, who spent four seasons as the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator before taking the Bears job, built a reputation for detailed, structure-heavy game plans.

Williams, by contrast, built his college career at Oklahoma and USC on improvisation and off-schedule plays.

When the Bears hired Johnson in January 2026, many analysts predicted friction.

Colin Cowherd said on his radio program, "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," that Williams "can't play in structure" and that the pairing would inevitably fail.

But Williams said the reality is the opposite.

"I trust Ben with it," Williams said.

He added that most of the time, after watching film together, he ends up agreeing with Johnson's call.

"A lot of time we'll go up into the office and talk about it," Williams said.

"We'll watch multiple, multiple, multiple clips, and at the end of it I typically feel pretty good about it and where we want to go with the ball."

The relationship, as described by Williams, is built on mutual respect rather than hierarchy.

Johnson does not simply assert his authority as head coach.

Williams does not retreat into silence.

Instead, they meet in the middle.

This dynamic is unusual in a league where head coaches traditionally hold final say over the play sheet.

Johnson, who turned 40 in May, is the youngest head coach in the NFC North.

Williams, 24, is in his second NFL season.

Their age proximity may help explain the collaborative approach.

But the deeper reason, according to Williams, is that both men share the same obsession.

"Ben and I are cut from the same cloth," Williams said, according to the Sports Illustrated report.

Both are driven by winning and by the desire to be remembered as all-time greats.

Johnson's resume supports that ambition.

In Detroit, he coordinated an offense that ranked among the NFL's best in yards and points from 2022 through 2025.

He helped develop Jared Goff into an MVP candidate.

Williams, in his rookie season, threw for 3,892 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Through nine games of the 2026 season, he has elevated his play to elite status.

He is on pace to challenge for the league's passing titles and is considered a leading candidate for MVP.

The Bears, as of Week 9, sit atop the NFC North with a 7-2 record.

Chicago has not won a Super Bowl since 1986.

Williams has stated publicly that ending that drought is his primary goal.

Johnson, in his first head coaching job, has the same target.

The collaborative play-calling process is not the only sign of their alignment.

Williams said Johnson pushes him out of his comfort zone as a quarterback.

But he does it through teaching, not through commands.

"We'll watch multiple, multiple, multiple clips," Williams said, emphasizing the repetition.

By the end of those sessions, Williams said he typically feels confident in the play.

On the rare occasions he still does not like it, the play simply disappears from the call sheet.

That level of trust takes time to build.

Williams and Johnson have been working together for less than a year.

Yet Williams speaks about the relationship with the ease of a veteran who has had the same coordinator for a decade.

The contrast with other high-profile quarterback-coach pairings is stark.

In Indianapolis, the Colts have cycled through coordinators and quarterbacks without finding a stable fit.

In New York, the Jets and Giants have both struggled with offensive identity.

Williams and Johnson appear to have avoided that trap.

Sports Illustrated described their relationship as "the kind of mutual trust in each other that often leads to winning."

The article also noted that Johnson could have simply "thrown his authority in Williams' face" and forced him to run concepts he did not believe in.

He chose not to.

Williams could have "retreated into a shell and stopped communicating."

He chose not to.

Instead, the two have built a functional partnership that is producing results on the field.

The Bears' offense ranks in the top five in scoring through nine weeks.

Williams has thrown 22 touchdowns against five interceptions.

He is completing 68% of his passes.

The offensive line, which was a weakness in 2025, has improved significantly under Johnson's scheme.

The running game, led by D'Andre Swift, has averaged 135 yards per game.

Defenses have struggled to game-plan against Chicago because Johnson and Williams can adjust mid-game.