NFC North Notebook: Caleb Williams Embracing the Moment, Nixon Wants to Stay, and O’Connell Reflects on McCarthy’s Growth
Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams Already Showing Clutch DNA
It’s still early in Caleb Williams’ NFL journey, but if you ask Bears head coach Ben Johnson, the rookie quarterback is already earning a reputation most veterans spend years chasing - clutch.
“There’s not a whole lot you need to say to him on the sideline,” Johnson said. “We just make sure we’re on the same page - situation, what we need to do, how fast we need to do it.
Beyond that, he doesn’t need a pep talk. He’s ready to go.”
That kind of poise in pressure moments is rare, especially for a young quarterback still getting his footing in the league. But Johnson’s confidence in Williams isn’t just coachspeak - it’s rooted in what he’s seen when the lights are brightest. According to him, Williams consistently delivers when it matters most.
“He rises to the occasion time and time again. It’s really impressive to see a young player like this be so clutch,” Johnson added.
Williams, for his part, isn’t shying away from the moment. In fact, he seems to welcome the chaos.
“I feel calm in those moments,” he said. “I feel my conditioning is the best in those moments. I feel that I’m the best in those moments because of what I’ve prepared to be in those moments.”
That mindset - a relentless focus on “next play, next play, next play” - is exactly what you want from your franchise quarterback. And when it’s time to make a play, Williams says it’s “life or death.”
That’s not dramatics. That’s the mentality of a player who believes he was built for crunch time. And early returns suggest he might just be right.
Green Bay Packers: Nixon Wants to Stay, LaFleur Deal in Motion
Cornerback Keisean Nixon has one year left on his three-year, $18 million deal, but he’s already thinking about the future - and he’s hoping it stays green and gold.
“Most likely. We’ll see.
I don’t know,” Nixon said when asked about sticking with the Packers. “I’ll talk to my agent and stuff like that, but I love Green Bay.
This is where I wanna be. I don’t really wanna go nowhere else.”
Nixon’s been a key piece of the Packers’ secondary and special teams, and his desire to stay speaks volumes about the culture in Green Bay. While nothing’s set in stone, both sides appear open to continuing the relationship.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the Packers are also working on a contract extension for head coach Matt LaFleur. According to Dianna Russini, the deal is progressing, and there’s no panic inside the building.
“Everyone is being dramatic. It’s getting done,” Russini said. “Dumb organizations do dumb things; the Packers aren’t dumb.”
Translation: LaFleur isn’t going anywhere.
Minnesota Vikings: O’Connell Sees Growth in McCarthy Despite Missed Playoffs
The Vikings didn’t make the playoffs this season, and quarterback J.J. McCarthy had his share of ups and downs.
But head coach Kevin O’Connell isn’t dwelling on the negatives. Instead, he’s focused on the progress McCarthy made down the stretch.
“J.J., I was really encouraged by the type of football he started to play towards the second half of the season and finishing the way he did,” O’Connell said.
It wasn’t always pretty, but there were signs of development - especially in how McCarthy approached the short game and took what defenses gave him.
“We spend a lot of time talking about what the layers of change really were,” O’Connell explained. “We all just tried to have a mindset on completions, and however we could generate them, we started to see a little bit of that show up.”
There were flashes of explosive plays, too. And when paired with a run game that O’Connell described as “productive enough,” the Vikings were able to stay competitive in most games.
It’s clear McCarthy isn’t a finished product - far from it. But O’Connell sounds optimistic about what he saw late in the year.
The next step? Turning flashes into consistency.
Bottom Line
In Chicago, the Bears might have found their guy - and he’s already acting like he’s been here before. In Green Bay, there’s mutual interest in keeping key pieces in place, both on the field and on the sideline. And in Minnesota, while the season didn’t end with a playoff berth, the Vikings are betting on growth from their young quarterback.
The NFC North is a division in transition - but it’s also one brimming with potential.