Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has been on the receiving end of a lot of hate since entering the NFL. That comes with the territory of being the No. 1 overall pick, but it seems to be excessive with Williams.
The hate appears to be everywhere. Despite that, Williams received some support from a surprising source, Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. During an appearance on the St. Brown podcast, Amon-Ra highlighted that Williams gets unfair criticism on social media. It has gotten so out of hand that the NFC North rival has sympathy for Williams.
"I swear he can’t breathe," St. Brown said. "… I feel bad sometimes.”
Bears QB Caleb Williams Got Support From Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
Being the starting quarterback for an iconic franchise like the Bears isn't easy. Entering the league, many draft experts said that Williams was the most talented QB to turn pro in years. Throughout his college days at Oklahoma and USC, several pundits predicted early on that he would be the top pick in the draft, whenever he declared, and he achieved that.
Unfortunately, Williams' rookie year didn't go as planned. Chicago went 5-12, and Williams wasn't even the best rookie QB from his draft class. That honor went to Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders, who led the franchise to a 12-5 record and NFC Championship Game appearance.
As for Williams, he completed 62.5% of his throws for 3,541 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He was sacked an NFL-high 68 times, with some of the blame for those attributed to Williams holding onto the ball too long.
Nonetheless, Williams was consistently getting called out, especially during the team's 10-game losing streak. And with all this noise, he continued to stay quiet. As St. Brown said, it looks like Williams can't even breathe without getting ripped to shreds for something.
The fact that his bitter rival is coming to his defense says something. St. Brown is stepping away from being a Detroit Lion and is speaking as a person who sees all the hate that one of his peers is receiving. Instead of piling on, St. Brown decided to call it out.
That's something that may not stand out in the grand scheme of things, but it could get back to Williams somehow. Rome Odunze could relay the message that St. Brown showed Williams love on his podcast. More importantly, it proves how some players in the NFL have each other's back, regardless of the team they play for.
St. Brown definitely backed Williams against the haters, and that's not something Bears fans would be expecting to hear.