Drake Maye And Caleb Williams Both Won 2025–in Their Own Way

I’m well aware of the fact that, in sports, there is almost always a winner and a loser. (Heard that in Ace Ventura’s voice.)

But as someone who considers themselves a big fan of both Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and New England Patriots signal-caller Drake Maye, I’m not feeling like picking sides anymore.

Seriously. If you had told me how this season would end for both guys back in training camp, I would have thrown a party and done all the cooking for everyone, too.

Now, yes, if you just have to pick which one had the better season, you would likely choose the guy who finished as the MVP runner-up at 23 years old and is about to play in the Super Bowl later today. Maye finished with the better stats, the more efficient season, the better record and the superior postseason outlook (though Williams actually played relatively better in the playoffs). And he did it with a less-dynamic supporting cast, as well.

Of course, I can hear some Bears fans and Maye Truthers talking about the Pats’ strength of schedule, how Maye’s been carried in the playoffs, etc. But again, as someone who lives in Boston, has followed Maye’s whole Patriots career, and has watched almost every snap he’s played in the NFL, there’s no doubt. He’s just simply that guy.

Early in the season, I definitely had been writing pieces wondering if the Bears might not want that No. 1 pick back—or at least hoping Chicago didn’t pull a 2017 and lock onto Williams so tightly they missed the potentially better player. Because good Lord, that would’ve been brutal.

But that’s why you wait until the end of the year, when all the data is collected, to make your final assessment of the season. Because any gap that existed between them shrank dramatically by the time Williams and the Bears fell to the Rams in the playoffs.

Sure, there are still some flaws to his game, and we’re still hoping for a Josh Allen-esque leap into an MVP-type player from Williams next year. But you can’t deny now that he absolutely has the ability to become that player, and that he’s already knocking on the door of superstardom after the insane run he put together to finish the 2025-26 season. In particular, Williams thrived most when the Bears needed him most, producing seven comeback wins and at least four of the most ridiculous throws you’ve ever seen in the last month of the season alone. And he did it all without so much of a change of expression: just an icy shrug of the shoulders.

Naturally, outsiders would look at the two seasons they had and, without considering context, might say, “Well, of course the Bears would take Maye No. 1 overall in a 2024 re-draft. Wouldn’t you?” And you know what, maybe you still end up in more or less the same place (as long as you hire Ben Johnson), or maybe even further? Who knows? And you never know this… maybe Williams ends up exactly where Maye is if he ends up in New England. Maybe it’s the organization, not the players.

That said, why would the Bears want anyone else as their quarterback at this point going forward? Imagine seeing Williams do all that, with that much more room to grow, and say you’d rather have someone else? Nah. I think if you asked the Bears, not some random Bleacher Report or ESPN analyst, they’d probably pick the same way. (No disrespect to Maye at all.)

Because both guys ended up exactly where they should be, and both guys proved to be winners, in my book. Watching both of them ascend into what they’ve become, and knowing they might well be on the path to becoming this era’s Brady and Mahomes—destined to clash in the playoffs and sit atop the league for the years to come—gets me amped.

And knowing I can do that while enjoying both of them with no strings attached (for most of the year, anyway) is really fun.

For real, you should try it. Because they just might be leading the new golden age of quarterback play.