Kalif Raymond’s offseason move to the Bears is already reaching the quarterback room. Caleb Williams says Raymond talked to him during a frustrating practice about the weight of being a leader—staying positive, shaking off frustrations, and adopting a stoic mi
Kalif Raymond came to the Bears this offseason, and his message to Caleb Williams didn’t wait for game day.
Raymond said the choice to sign in Chicago ultimately came down to wanting to play for Ben Johnson, the coach who previously coached Raymond in Detroit. Johnson, Raymond noted, knows what he can do in the offense—but also knows what he can do in the locker room as a team leader.
That leadership part has shown up with Williams, too. Williams said Raymond approached him during a frustrating practice and spoke directly about what everyone else was watching. Williams remembered that moment clearly: “Leaf came up to me. there was a day I wasn’t having the best practice. so I got I got really frustrated. Leaf came up to me and said, ‘Everybody’s looking at you.’ And that really resonated for me.”.
Williams described Raymond’s presence as something that hasn’t been long. “Leaf has only been here for a couple couple months or so,” he said, then explained how quickly the message landed.
From there. Williams said he’s been working to match the mindset Raymond urged—controlling what can be controlled and refusing to let frustrations spill into everything around him. “I want to be as stoic as possible, good, bad, or indifferent,” Williams said. “Not be too high or too low for the guys. and so when he said that to me. it stuck with me. and it bothered me and so just every day having that type of mindset: Be as stoic as possible. be as strong as possible for the guys because they’re they’re looking at me.”.
The quarterback also tied the mental discipline to the emotion of the sport itself. and to the responsibility he feels inside the building. “And it takes a lot to do that because it’s such a passionate — the energy in the sport is is so strong. but it’s important to me. it’s important to the guys. and it’s important to Coach.”.
Raymond’s early impact, at least as Williams tells it, goes beyond routes and production. If Raymond helps make Williams “a better franchise quarterback. ” Williams implied the new contract would be justified not only by what Raymond delivers on the field—but by what he changes in the way the team carries itself when things don’t go smoothly.
Kalif Raymond Chicago Bears Caleb Williams Ben Johnson leadership NFL
So Leaf Raymond just walks up and fixes Caleb’s attitude? lol ok.
I don’t get why everyone keeps saying “stoic” like that’s a personality. Football is intense, he’s not a robot. Also Ben Johnson sounds like he runs the whole vibe.
Wait who is “Leaf”?? I thought Kalif Raymond already played like forever. If he’s only been there a couple months and now he’s mentoring… that feels kinda fast. But hey, if Caleb’s contract is “justified” by locker room energy then why even play games.
Caleb “everybody’s looking at you” sounds like that teacher moment type stuff. Like ok but maybe they should focus on actual practice and not motivational speeches. Stoic is fine until he gets sacked again and then I’m sure everyone will be looking at him for different reasons. This article makes it sound like leadership automatically wins games, which… sure. Bears fans been waiting.