Back at the end of July, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams laid out his personal goals for the year when he met with reporters at Halas Hall at the start of training camp. He was set to start his second season in the NFL and his first with Bears head coach Ben Johnson.

The first goal he listed was something that a Bears’ quarterback has never done in the franchise’s 106-season history: Williams wanted to become the franchise’s first quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in a season.

Sixteen games later, Williams will have a chance to do that Sunday afternoon when Chicago ends the regular season against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. While Williams is focused on helping the Bears boost their playoff seeding, he also appreciated coming close to cementing himself as one of the Bears’ best.

“I think for me, it’d be cool just in the sense of, there’s never been one here,” Williams said at Halas Hall in Lake Forest on Wednesday. “I think I was brought here for those types of things and those types of moments, the things that haven’t been done here, to try and be able to accomplish. Like I’ve said before, the self goals and all of that always get swept under when you go for the team goals, and that’s winning ball games, so that’s first and foremost on my mind.”

Williams enters Sunday’s game No. 3 on the Bears’ single-season passing list with 3,730 passing yards. He’s already No. 6 all-time on the franchise’ list after he threw for 3,541 yards during his rookie season last year.

Erik Kramer set the franchise’s record in 1995 when he threw for 3,838 yards. Jay Cutler came the closest to breaking that record and is second on the list after throwing for 3,812 yards in 2014. He’s also had seasons that rank fourth, fifth and seventh. Both Kramer and Cutler played when the NFL had 16-game seasons.

Williams was aware of the Bears’ passing history woes before the team drafted him. Chicago is the lone team in the NFL without a quarterback who’s passed for 4,000 yards in a year.

“A lot of it comes from the weather and all these different things,” Williams said. “And kind of how Chicago has been with running the ball and all these different things. I think they ended up choosing right. I have a strong enough arm to cut through the wind, and I’ve been blessed with that.”

Johnson wasn’t worried about Williams potentially reaching the 4,000 mark when asked about it on Wednesday. He called it an “arbitrary” number and said there were probably a few teams that haven’t had a 5,000-yard passer in a season.

“If it were to happen that’d be great,” Johnson said. “But he would agree with me when I say that our No. 1 objective is to win this ballgame. Whatever that takes, that’s our goal. We’ll see where it’s at at the end of the year. That’s a tertiary goal, if you will.”

Johnson was more encouraged about the growth Williams has shown over the past month.

Williams has thrown for at least 242 yards in each of the last three games against the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers. He’s also thrown for at least two touchdowns in each of those games and hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 14 against the Packers.

It’s growth that the Bears wanted from Williams heading into the season. Although the Bears lost twice in December, Williams has put his team in spots to win each time during the most important month of the season.

“I think he feels like he has a great grasp on what we’re trying to get done,” Johnson said. “And I think that’s showing up now on game day on a consistent basis and so he is able to play a little bit faster. Made some big time throws there the other day. I think he’s just playing really confident right now. Hopefully we can continue on that trend.”

Williams and the Bears hope that trend continues Sunday as the team still has a lot to play for in terms of playoff seeding. Chicago will earn the NFC’s No. 2 seed with a win Sunday or a Philadelphia Eagles loss to the Washington Commanders.

“I think for me, it’d be cool just in the sense of, there’s never been one here. I think I was brought here for those types of things and those types of moments, the things that haven’t been done here, to try and be able to accomplish. Like I’ve said before, the self goals and all of that always get swept under when you go for the team goals, and that’s winning ball games, so that’s first and foremost on my mind.”

—  Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears quarterback

But Williams also realizes the opportunity in front of him. While the 4,000-yard passing stat might just be a number, for many Bears fans, breaking it would show that the Bears finally have a franchise quarterback who can compete in the modern NFL.

Breaking that record Sunday could be an important first step in Williams cementing himself as that franchise quarterback.

“I want to be the best quarterback not only for Chicago but in the league and that starts with consistency, that starts with me preparing the right way,” Williams said. “It’s important to me. I don’t get up to be mediocre. I don’t get up to not come to work and be at my best and go on the football field and do what I do. I want to keep growing. I want to keep growing for myself. I want to keep growing for my legacy. But I also want to keep growing for this team.”