The season is over for the Chicago Bears after a bitterly disappointing 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in overtime of the NFC Divisional Round.
Even with the team fighting back and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throwing the game-tying touchdown to Cole Kmet with 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter, one interception by Williams in overtime completely flipped the game on its head. Kmet talked with the media after the game as the Bears move on to the offseason, but even with the momentum of 2025 being carried over, the veteran tight end knows next season won't be easy.
“I understand [the question], but the work we put in is for this year, not for next year," Kmet said via CHGO. "When we take our time off here and reset, and the team of what it’s going to be settles in, it starts all over again. It’s 0-0, and it’s going to be twice as hard to get to this point. You can’t take for granted the opportunities you get in this league, to get to this chance and get an opportunity to go to the NFC Championship Game, and who knows from there. To just think that it’s going to happen again, that’s very wishful thinking. We play in a tough division, and I know we won the division, but we also went 2-4 in the division this year, and those teams are going to come back hungry. It’s just that much harder, so that’s why it hurts when you have an opportunity now and come up short.”
Cole Kmet knows the Bears got a lot of work to do in the offseason
The good news for the Bears is that pretty much the whole offense should be back in place for the 2026 season, so there will be no major changes there. All eyes will be on wide receiver DJ Moore, though, to see whether he will actually be playing in Chicago next season or be traded away.
Defense is where the Bears are going to take the biggest hit, with key guys like Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, and Nahshon Wright all testing the free-agent market. The question will be whether Chicago can retain all of them or be selective about whom it brings back.
Chicago is going to have a tough time in the NFC North with every team finishing with a winning record, so they are only going to improve. The Bears will have to stay aggressive if they want to be back in the playoff picture.
Read more: Ben Johnson just needed one word to describe Caleb Williams' game-tying TD pass
The Bears will have a busy offseason, with the defense getting the focus instead of the offense, which hopes to be what it takes to make a Super Bowl run in 2026.