In what has thus far been a promising offseason, the Bears are only raising expectations for how Caleb Williams will perform in his sophomore campaign. However, Bears fans should keep in mind that learning a new system takes time.

Bears insider Scott Bair, along with Mike Norman and Carmen Vitali, dove into what the future may look like for Williams on this week’s episode of the Bears on the Marquee podcast.

“[The Bears] burned Williams’ first year – lit it on fire, threw it out the window,” Bair said of Williams’ turbulent rookie season. “But they’ve invested heavily in this three-year window … they’ve put a lot of money towards these next three seasons.”

Williams signed his rookie contract for four years and $39.49 million guaranteed last summer. and the Bears own a team option for a fifth season. In his first year, he threw for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns as the Bears finished the season 5-12. Major concerns surrounded the Bears’ offensive line last season — Williams was sacked 68 times — the most in the NFL by a wide margin.

[READ: Bair Mail: On Ashton Jeanty, Cam Skattebo, Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles pro day circuit]

But now, with an improved O-line thanks to the Drew Dalman signing, plus the Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson trades, it’s safe to say that Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles are investing in Williams for the long run.

“The Bears completely overhauled their coaching staff and they’re overhauling parts of their roster,” Vitali said. “Poles is thinking two, three years ahead because that’s what good general managers do.”

[MORE: NFL mock draft roundup: Omarion Hampton, Ashton Jeanty linked to Bears]

Vitali added that the 2022 Detroit Lions season could be similar to what 2025 may look like for the Bears. The Lions went 9-8 that year, a drastic improvement from a 2021 season in which they went 3-13-1 and finished last in the NFC North. Their 2022 rebuild began with naming Johnson as offensive coordinator and drafting future stars in Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams.

“There’s definitely more proven talent on this Bears roster than there was on the 2022 Lions,” Vitali said. “Last year, there was so much on [Williams’] plate … I think the coaching staff overestimated how (well) he would transition to the NFL. The biggest thing to me is that he’s being put on the right track.”

New episodes of the Bears on the Marquee Podcast air each Tuesday.

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