The Chicago Bears opened the 2025 season against the Minnesota Vikings on "Monday Night Football" while the team was under an intense spotlight.
Quarterback Caleb Williams, in his second season after a disappointing rookie campaign, was paired with new head coach Ben Johnson. Williams had been at the center of many rumors through his young NFL career, as a new report claimed that the quarterback could have a learning disability.
That rumor went gone viral with fans debating whether it was true, just adding to the noise surrounding Williams as he entered his sophomore season. Here's a breakdown of these rumors surrounding the Bears' franchise quarterback.
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Caleb Williams learning disability rumors
NFL reporter Tyler Dunne released a three-part story about Williams' rookie season with the Bears and why it went so poorly in 2024. As part of Dunne's reporting, he found multiple anonymous sources connected to the Bears who claim that there is evidence that Williams has a learning disability.
"There were some major red flags that came up through this that frankly were not discussed at all in draft meetings, whether it's a potential learning disability that coaches got into, that scouts got into," Dunne said on the CHGO Bears podcast.
Tyler Dunne says he believes that #Bears QB Caleb Williams has a learning disability.Pic.twitter.com/AOnYKDpW5R
— Pick 6 Pack (@Pick6PackFB) September 5, 2025
Dunne reported that Bears coaches last season were not aware of Williams' issue until late in the season.
"Coaches could sense that he'd struggle with basic huddle calls and forget to motion players," Dunne said. "And it wasn't until later — right around that second-to-last game of the season — that coaches say they learned their quarterback had a learning disability."
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Does Caleb Williams have dyslexia?
Dunne reports that many people connected to the Bears believe that Williams has dyslexia, although there is no definitive proof beyond this story. Additionally, Dunne's sources accused Bears general manager Ryan Poles of hiding Williams' dyslexia from the rest of the team.
"Multiple Bears sources tell Go Long they've seen evidence that Williams has dyslexia," Dunne said. "They also believe that the GM, who has access to everything, was well aware of this condition before the Bears made the quarterback their first overall pick."
Dunne's reporting hasn't been confirmed by other insiders or the Bears organization.
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Caleb Williams 2024 stats
Here's a look at Caleb Williams' stats from his rookie season. Given the lofty expectations that come with being the No. 1 overall pick, the season was widely viewed as a disappointment.
- Games: 17
- Record: 5-12
- Completion percentage: 62.5%
- Passing yards: 3,541
- Passing touchdowns: 20
- Interceptions: 6
- Yards/Attempts: 6.3
- Rushing attempts: 81
- Rushing yards: 489
- Rushing touchdowns: 0
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