Case Keenum mentored C.J. Stroud for 2 years. Now he's taking on same role for Caleb Williams with Bears

Former Browns quarterback Case Keenum thought he might be done. The 37-year-old journeyman missed all of last season with the Houston Texans after suffering a foot injury during the preseason. He could see the writing on the wall. After 13 years in the NFL, it might finally be time to give it up. Then the Chicago Bears called. Keenum visited Halas Hall and met with first-year coach Ben Johnson. The meeting was scheduled for 15 minutes, but it felt like several hours flew by. Keenum left with renewed energy and a certainty that his NFL career wasn't over yet. "I love to play football," he said. "I'm basically a big kid. I've never had to grow up." In some sense that might feel true, but in another sense the Bears brought Keenum to Chicago on a one-year, $3 million contract because he can be the grown-up in the room. The Bears lacked a veteran presence at quarterback last season during a crucial time when No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams could've used an experienced teammate to lean on. Veteran Brett Rypien served in that role in the spring and throughout training camp, but when the Bears released Rypien after training camp, the Minnesota Vikings swooped in and signed Rypien to their active roster. That left the Bears with Williams, second-year backup Tyson Bagent and practice-squad rookie Austin Reed as the only quarterbacks in the building throughout the regular season. Bagent was the only one of that trio who had any previous NFL experience. All three return in 2025, but adding a veteran to the group became paramount. Keenum enters the mix with a long list of NFL experiences. He went undrafted coming out of Houston in 2012 despite setting FBS career records for completions, passing yards and touchdown passes — records that still stand. He spent time with the Texans and Rams before breaking out with the Vikings in 2017. Keenum took over for an injured Sam Bradford early in that season and led the Vikings to a 13-3 record and an appearance in the NFC championship game. That playoff run included the memorable "Minneapolis Miracle" in which Keenum connected with Stefon Diggs for a 61-yard touchdown on the final play to beat the New Orleans Saints. Since then, Keenum has bounced from Denver to Washington to Cleveland to Buffalo, back to Houston and now to Chicago. Along the way, he has been a backup and mentor for the likes of Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen and C.J. Stroud. "He's been to playoff games," Johnson said. "He's won playoff games. He's done it on a high level. He's been the No. 2 quarterback at a number of different places as well. So his experience level is off the charts. He's seen a little bit of everything that this league has to offer." In Williams, Keenum sees a young quarterback who oozes talent and has "a chance to be a lot better" than his rookie season indicated. "He's just a sponge," Keenum said. "For being an all-world talent, a guy who has, since high school, been the best player on any field anywhere he has ever stepped on, to be humble enough to ask me questions and watch and learn has been really refreshing to see." During organized team activities this spring, Keenum has taken reps with the second-team offense. Johnson has been adamant there's no depth chart yet and he won't build one until training camp starts in July. But it feels notable that Keenum is taking reps with the twos ahead of Bagent, even if it's simply a matter of seniority. After missing all of last season, Keenum hasn't appeared in an NFL game since making two starts in place of Stroud in 2023. He has appeared in 13 games, with four starts, over the last five years. More importantly, though, Keenum is here to be a resource for Williams. That's especially crucial this time of year. Per the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, coaches can work with players for only a certain number of hours per day during the spring. There are no restrictions, however, on how much time players can spend with each other. Keenum can essentially function as an extension of the coaching staff. "It's just talking ball," Keenum said. "It's getting to know each other. That's what the spring is for. First of all, getting to know each other and speaking the same language, but then getting into the weeds a little bit of how to play quarterback and what that looks like." Keenum had a front-row seat to Stroud's rookie season in 2023, when the Texans QB won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Keenum believes Stroud should've been in the conversation for MVP that year (he tied for eighth). The Bears, notably, passed on a chance to draft Stroud when they traded away the No. 1 pick in 2023. That decision led them to Williams a year later. Keenum loved watching Stroud excel as a rookie and called him "a special player." Keenum's two years in Houston showed him he doesn't have to be the starter to make an impact. "I learned that it's really fun to lead from behind, not necessarily be the one out front but helping to support the guy who is leading in front," Keenum said. That's a role he's happy to continue in Chicago.