Since the Chicago Bears last won a Super Bowl in 1985, sustained success has been elusive. For every double-digit win regular season, there has been the thud of a double-digit loss campaign or two. Since Mike Ditka's final season as head coach in 1992, they've had back-to-back double-digit win seasons once (2005 and 2006).
After winning the NFC North last year for the first time since 2018, but going 1-1 in the playoffs, the Bears are eyeing more in 2026 and beyond. Quarterback Caleb Williams openly conveyed that mindset when he talked to reporters on Day 1 of the voluntary offseason program.
"I want to be the best. I want to go win. I want to be, as we call it, a world champion, a Super Bowl champion. I want to be the best Bear quarterback, the best quarterback. ... That last year wasn't really anything. It was a good year, and we got many more good years coming up."
Head coach Ben Johnson wasted no time establishing a winning culture when he came to Chicago last year, and one of the voices that has to lead that charge in the locker room is fully on board with the "Good, Better, Best" mantra (as expected).
Bears assistant GM points to why things are sustainably different now
Jeff King joined the Bears' organization in 2015 as a scouting intern, moving from Pro Scout to Director of Scouting to Co-Director of Player Personnel to Senior Director of Player Personnel and now to Assistant General Manager.
King also played seven seasons as an NFL tight end, so he has that extra bit of insight into what a winning culture does or doesn't look like. Ryan Poles is the second general manager he has worked under in Chicago, and Johnson is the fourth head coach.
In his new role, King spoke to the media. He reflected on his journey in the Bears' front office and noted why things are different and better now.
"I’ve seen lows, I’ve seen highs, been in the middle, and the fact that we can steady the ship and be part of being a consistent winner here means a ton", King said, via Chris Emma of 104.3 The Score. "I think It's one of the best football cities that you can be in when you’re winning, and that’s our charge to keep it there. But that doesn’t come easy. We have to reset, we have to restock, and we’re going to have to start over. Ben (Johnson) hit it, Ryan (Poles) hit it, last year is last year."
"Last year is last year", or something along those lines, is starting to take shape as the Bears' mantra for this offseason, and it's spot-on. The success of last season was nice, but there are bigger goals to reach, and the process for reaching them in 2026 starts now.
Read more: Ryan Poles sends expected message about the plan for Darnell Wright's contract
Having Poles and Johnson in their respective chairs, working in unison with full buy-in from top to bottom in the organization, is set to finally yield sustained (and sustainable) success in Chicago.
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