Kirk Herbstreit Under Fire Over Controversial Caleb Williams Comments During Bears’ TNF Clash

Since returning from a hamstring injury, Caleb Williams is on a roll. He had a great game against the New England Patriots, helping post 30-24 on the scoreboard. However, up in the booth, Kirk Herbstreit put forward a thought that didn’t sit well with some.

“And let’s be honest here, when he first got here, Caleb Williams was like a bucking bronco,” he said during the TNF clash. “He needed to be trained, he needed to be taught how to play within structure. You know, the one thing about Caleb Williams, dynamic playmaker in college in his first year here, but he was a little reckless.

“You know, he didn’t make the easy play. Now in his second year at Ben Johnson, he’s much more refined in how he plays the position.”

Herbstreit perhaps could have found better words to describe Williams, who has become central to the Bears team.

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The team didn’t quite thrum under former head coach Matt Eberflus, under whom Williams played his rookie season. Eberflus was fired mid-season, and the QB went 5-12 that year. However, with a change in system under Ben Johnson from 2025 onwards, the Bears became a competitor.

Williams’ accuracy dipped in his first season with Johnson, but it now sits at an impressive 71.0% so far in the 2026 campaign. While the progression is worth lauding, ‘bucking bronco’ might not have been the correct phrasing for it.

Derived from rodeo culture, bucking bronco literally alludes to behavior akin to a horse that jumps and kicks around a lot. As in, Herbstreit implied that Williams was difficult to rein in with respect to his throwing skills as a rookie. Under Johnson, the QB seems to have attained that control.

Williams threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns against the Patriots, after a 305-yard, 1-touchdown performance against the Falcons. With back-to-back 300-yard passing games, Williams became Chicago’s first quarterback to achieve the feat since Mitchell Trubisky in 2018.

Herbstreit‘s wordplay was not appreciated by some.

“There were so many ways to say that Caleb Williams has matured as a QB, and he picked the most cringeworthy way possible,” said The Athletic’s Jemele Hill.

Backlash poured in from the fans too.

“Not Buck Breaking! Come on now! And these guys get paid Millions upon millions. As they get worse and worse,” a fan wrote.

“You couldn’t find another analogy? Or even just say ‘Early, some of his play was erratic and all over the place, he needed some time within a stable offense and develop trust with his playmakers and coaches,’” wrote a fan.

“Man I thought I was tripping when I heard that. Kirk is a j—–s man,” read a comment.

“This sounds wrong and like a dogwhistle,” a fan wrote.

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