On the first anniversary of his hiring, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson stepped to the podium for his end‑of‑season press conference. He delivered something rare in today’s NFL: Unfiltered honesty.
No spin. No excuses. No sugarcoating. Johnson praised his coaches and players for their work ethic and sacrifice. But still, they fell short. When Johnson was asked about building off from this season, he remained true to his form in his final presser.
"There is no building off of this. We're back to square one. We’re back at the bottom again. And that’s all 32 teams. If you feel otherwise, you’re probably missing the big picture.”
It was blunt. It was jarring. And it was exactly the kind of clarity Chicago has been missing for years.
2025 was a year of progress but Johnson is not satisfied
The Bears fans should be encouraged. They had to endure Matt Nagy and Matt Eberflus, two men who lacked both leadership and accountability when things turned for the worse, and whose words and actions were hollow and often left both the players and fans dumbfounded until it cost them their jobs.
After providing the fans with one of the most exciting seasons in a long time, replicating it in 2026 will be difficult. Expecting the defense to lead the league in takeaways again and fourth-quarter comebacks next season would be preposterous. There were plenty of pre-snap penalties and dropped passes that never got cleaned up, even as the season progressed. Being good enough is no longer acceptable.
If the playoffs were any indication, the city of Chicago has come alive and fallen in love with the Bears again. The energy and the atmosphere were electric. And the players embraced every moment of it, not only for themselves, but also for the city.
Read more: What memorable 2025 season should mean to every Chicago Bears fan
As long as Johnson is in charge, there will be no complacency. There is no riding the momentum from the previous year. Hopefully, this is only the beginning and the best yet to come.