By Sunday 
If Chicago Bears fans thought the 2025 season was just another rebuild year, think again. This time, the clock is ticking — and everyone in Halas Hall knows it.
Betting the Franchise on One Name
The Bears handed GM Ryan Poles a shiny new extension that runs through 2029 — just months after he hired new head coach Ben Johnson, the creative mind behind Detroit’s explosive offense. It’s a bold show of confidence… or maybe a desperate hope.
But make no mistake: both men’s futures are now tied directly to one person — Caleb Williams.
Drafted No. 1 overall in 2024, the USC phenom represents not just a fresh start, but the start of the plan. The plan to end years of being “one year away.” The plan to finally take — and keep — the NFC North. The plan to prove Chicago is more than just a Midwestern memory in the playoff race.
“You Just Got Paid for Winning an Offseason”
Leave it to Chicago sports radio to drop the realest line in the room. As WSCR’s Leila Rahimi put it:
“You just got paid for winning an offseason, not a season.”
Translation? Nice job signing talent and making trades, but fans are tired of winning headlines. They want wins on Sundays. The offseason parade — headlined by guard Joe Thuney, center Drew Dalman, and wideout Luther Burden III — has been impressive. But none of it matters if the Bears can’t protect Williams and actually put points on the board.
The Ghosts of Eberflus Past
Let’s not forget — Poles’ last coaching hire, Matt Eberflus, was such a bust he became the first head coach in Bears history to be fired midseason. That hire was rushed. This one, with Ben Johnson, was calculated. Johnson chose Chicago, walking away from a comfy coordinator job in Detroit to develop the most-hyped rookie QB in recent memory.
But here’s the tension: Johnson and Poles just married their legacies to Caleb Williams. If Caleb clicks, they’re heroes. If he flounders? Don’t expect either of them to see 2029.
Hope or Hype?
The Bears have turned a lot of draft capital into promise:
- Darnell Wright
- Tyrique Stevenson
- Tory Taylor (yes, even the punter)
- Luther Burden III
And most of all, Caleb Williams.
Poles is confident. He recently said, “Yeah, I feel pretty good,” about how it’s all played out.
He better be right — because for the first time in years, everyone else expects something real.