Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has now made headlines after an off-field gesture towards a religious figure.

The former No.1 overall pick has sent a signed Bears jersey to Pope Leo XIV, the Chicago native born Robert Francis Prevost. Many have long presumed that he supports the Bears, considering his ties to the city.

While the thoughtful gesture has generated quite a buzz online, it wasn’t just the recipient of the gift that was the topic of discussion amongst fans. The Score analyst Chris Emma posted the pictures on X on July 5.

The jersey in itself appeared to be different from Chicago’s standard road uniform. This has led to immense speculation amongst Bears fans.

A few details were noticeable about the jersey from the image that is circulating online. Fans were quick to notice that the white jersey had the numbers in an orange colour. The jersey also lacked the Bears’ traditional navy steel stripes, which are typically seen on the team’s road uniforms.

This has also prompted speculation over whether Williams has given a first glimpse of an upcoming Bears alternate jersey before an announcement by the team. A user on X named Bearsszn pointed out that the jersey is probably the rumoured Bears’ Nike “Rivalries” uniform for the upcoming season.

The collection is set to be introduced for teams in the NFC North and AFC South as part of Nike’s rotating alternate uniform program every season. Last season, the “Rivalries” jerseys were given to the teams of the AFC East and NFC West. 

Whether the jersey was accidentally revealed or if the jersey given is a unique custom design, Williams’ gift has become a topic of conversation amongst NFL fans.

Meanwhile, Williams has been ranked as one of the best quarterbacks in one particular stat.

Williams ahead of Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels in important stat

Williams' sophomore year with the Bears was a breakout campaign for the quarterback. He set the NFL record for the most fourth-quarter comebacks by a quarterback younger than 25 years old, and now, he has been ranked above every other NFL quarterback in one particular stat.

Daire Carragher of PFF ranked the NFL's best scrambling quarterbacks using PFF data from the last three seasons, and Williams was ranked fourth overall. With a scrambling grade of 92.5, he ranked above Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who had a 92.1 scrambling grade, and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.

Williams finished only behind NFL MVPs Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. Truly impressive for someone who took a Bears record 68 sacks in his rookie season and has since improved it to 24.

He has already been named as a dark-horse MVP candidate by NFL analyst Kay Adams, showcasing the potential that Williams possesses.

Do you think Williams will become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL by the end of the season? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Dhruv Vishnu Nair

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar