Seth Rollins on why Caleb Williams will have better Year 2 than Jayden Daniels
Seth Rollins on why Caleb Williams will have better Year 2 than Jayden Daniels
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will be compared for the duration of their NFL careers.
The first and second overall picks, respectively, have all of the talent and potential to thrive and be the face of the league for the long term. But while Daniels had an easy-going rookie season -- en route to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors -- Williams dealt with adversity and still faces plenty of criticism after just one year.
During a recent appearance on the "Up & Adams" show, WWE superstar (and noted Bears fan) Seth Rollins explained why he believes Williams will have a better 2025 season than Daniels.
"I think Caleb Williams is going to have a better year," Rollins said. "I think last year was an aberration. I think you're going to see a little bit of a sophomore slump. I think people are going to be able to gameplan for (Jayden) better. ... I just think the second year is going to be more difficult. You look at C.J. Stroud...he had a great year, but compared to the rookie year, not quite as good. I think you're going to look at it and see a situation like that whereas expectations are going to be a little bit lower for Caleb, and I think he's going to be able to exceed those. Plus, he's playing in a system with Ben Johnson that's going to be curated better to him than what he was doing with Shane Waldron."
While it's easy to deem Rollins a "superfan" defending "his" quarterback, he brings up a good point. A sophomore slump could potentially be in play for Daniels, who had a lights-out rookie season. Also, we haven't even glimpsed Williams' ceiling after his chaotic rookie season that featured incompetent coaching. Now with Ben Johnson in place, we should get a taste of what Williams can really bring to the field.
There's no reason Williams and Daniels can't both be great -- and we could very well be witnessing the beginning of that -- but people love to compare and declare who's better. That's a question that wouldn't even be answered for several years. But with both Williams and Daniels in the NFC, they'll be seeing a lot of each other throughout their careers -- especially if their respective teams become perennial playoff teams.
Williams and Daniels will square off again for the second time in as many seasons when the Commanders host the Bears on Monday Night Football in Week 6. While Williams nearly won the first match -- before Tyrique Stevenson's blunder on a Hail Mary -- he'll have a chance to redeem himself and even the series with Daniels on Oct. 13.
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