Chicago Bears chairman George McCaskey made it clear the team will not rest on last season's success. After a stunning 11-6 record and a playoff win, the first since 2010, the Bears finished first in the NFC North for the first time since 2018. McCaskey emphasized the team's ultimate goal remains the Super Bowl, not just division titles.
"We haven't achieved our goal," McCaskey said at the Annual League Meeting. "The goal is to win the Super Bowl. So there's some more work to be done."
The Bears turned their season around under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. After an 0-2 start, Chicago won 10 of its final 14 games to secure an 11-6 record and a playoff berth. That included a 30-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the regular-season finale, reigniting one of the league’s fiercest rivalries.
McCaskey praised Johnson's leadership and ability to inspire the team. "He's intense," McCaskey said. "He's intelligent. He's innovative. He's passionate. He's got the players believing in him and, more importantly, believing in themselves."
Chicago's playoff run came to an end with a 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round. But the Bears' performance in close games, they won six games by seven points or fewer, showed the resilience McCaskey and Johnson are building.
"We fell short of our goal," McCaskey said. "It was a great run. It was a miraculous run. Surreal run."
The Bears have a strong core of players, but McCaskey stressed the need for continued improvement. The team has just one Pro Bowl selection in 2025, defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, and will need to bolster its roster in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft.
Johnson, who was hired in January 2025, has already shown a knack for turning momentum. The Bears improved by nine wins from 2024 to 2025, the second-largest turnaround in the league behind the New York Jets.
McCaskey confirmed the team is moving forward with confidence. "We have a good core of players," he said. "They fight like hell for each other. They fight like hell for their coach."
The Bears are expected to make key decisions on stadium upgrades this spring or summer and will continue evaluating their roster through March's free agency period and April's draft.
Chicago's next step is clear: build on the foundation of 2025 and push for a deep playoff run in 2026.
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