After losing in devastating fashion to the Rams in the Divisional Round, 20-17, the Chicago Bears' season is officially over.
There is no doubt that the Bears had an incredible turnaround and one of their most successful seasons of the 21st century. The hard part is now on the horizon for Chicago.
The Bears have had some solid seasons in the past, but have fallen short in building on that success. With the clock on their Super Bowl window officially starting, this offseason will be the most important one in Chicago Bears history.
Contention is Never Guaranteed
Bears fans may be quick to look forward to next year and proclaim it as "their year," but it's incredibly important to realize that it is never a given. You don't even need to look outside the NFC North to see past teams that looked the same way that could never regain past glory.
In 2023, the Detroit Lions took the league by storm and made it all the way to the NFC Championship game. Holding a 24-7 lead at halftime, they gave up 27 unanswered to lose out on their Super Bowl dreams.
Head coach Dan Campbell himself said it may have been their only shot, and he was right. The Lions ran into a buzzsaw that was the Washington Commanders in 2024 and missed the playoffs entirely this season.
The Minnesota Vikings fell victim to the same hubris. After quarterback Brett Favre threw the NFC Championship game away in 2009, most of their team returned and could only muster a 6-10 record and a last-place finish in the division.
The Green Bay Packers have taken their talent for granted and have drafted projects for years. That's why even though they won Super Bowl XLV, they haven't been back, falling short in 11 straight postseason appearances.
All these teams are cautionary tales of how hard it is to get back to the top of the mountain, even if the same team comes back the next year. With the Chicago Bears now having to face the toughest schedule in the NFL in 2026, there won't be any margin for error like there was this season.
The Chicago Bears had seven come-from-behind wins in the last minute of the game this year. Defenses will now have an entire offseason to dissect Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson's offense and will be much more prepared to stop it. As a result, it's imperative that the team and the entire organization recognize how much work remains to get back to where they were.
Salary Cap Brings Tough Decisions
Not only do the Chicago Bears have some big decisions to make about who to bring back, but they also need to do so with very limited cap space. Even with Caleb Williams still on his rookie deal, the Bears have under $3.7 million in cap space already, according to Spotrac.
That total is with players like Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, and Nahshon Wright becoming unrestricted free agents this offseason. Each of those three players alone should see sizable increases in their contracts, and Chicago will have to get creative with how it structures some of these deals.
Unfortunately, the issues go beyond just bringing guys back from last year. Even if the Bears were to somehow bring back the exact same team as last year, they still have plenty of issues to address. Chicago needs a complete overhaul of its defensive line and more pieces at cornerback.
With star linebacker T.J. Edwards fracturing his fibula against the Packers in the Wild Card game, there is a chance he isn't 100% by the time the 2026 season starts, depending on how his recovery goes. One bad contract or one impact player leaving can throw this entire team into disarray, just as it has with other contenders in the past, so it's important that general manager Ryan Poles gets these decisions right.
NFL Draft is Critical to Chicago's Success in 2026
There is no way around it. If the Chicago Bears don't nail their draft, they will suffer the consequences not just in 2026 but possibly even longer. With the aforementioned cap issues, the NFL draft is always the best way for teams to retool and replace their losses. If the Bears can draft good players that can contribute in big ways while not counting against the salary cap too much, the Bears will be one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL next year.
Unfortunately, as is the case with all drafts, it's incredibly hard for GMs to hit home runs every year. Ryan Poles has done a pretty solid job in the draft over the past few years, especially in the early rounds, and has found a few gems as well. Over the course of his tenure with the team, he has struggled in the third round and later. While these picks are always more of a toss up than picks in the earlier rounds, GM's of perennial contenders have to hit on these picks.
Since 2022, Ryan Poles has had 22 selections in the third round or later. Out of those picks, only Kyle Monangai, Tory Taylor, Austin Booker, and Noah Sewell have really panned out.
Although many general managers struggle with these picks, Poles' selections of players like Velus Jones, Zacch Pickens, and Kiran Amegadjie have really stunted some of Chicago's potential growth. While Poles certainly can't be expected to hit on every single pick, he cannot draft busts with decent draft capital as he has in past years.
This Offseason Sets the Groundwork
Whether Bears fans want to admit it or not, this year was never meant to be "the year." While Poles and Johnson could certainly have seen some success on the horizon, neither of them could have envisioned this year in their wildest dreams.
This next season, in 2026, was always the year to get it done. If Ryan Poles and this Chicago Bears organization can pull the right levers, there is no doubt that they will rule the NFC North and possibly even the NFC for years to come.
Read more: No Bears fan would disagree with what Caleb Williams said about Ben Johnson
If they slip up, this could just be another chapter in Bears history under "false hope," putting the Bears behind the sticks for years to come. While we don't know what is in store at Halas Hall, it will certainly be a fun ride for Bears fans for the next few months.