Ben Johnson's first year as head coach of the Chicago Bears ended in heartbreak, but what a ride it was.
The former Lions offensive coordinator led a transformation in Chicago in 2025 that will resonate with Bears fans well beyond the final whistle of their Divisional Round overtime defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams. Now, Chicago has a new goal: Build on the seemingly overnight success story that was the 2025 Bears.
"I am proud of the progress that we've made," Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Wednesday, via the team's official site. "And knowing that, we can't be complacent. We've got to keep pushing forward. (Johnson and I) both come from organizations (Detroit and Kansas City) that have stacked success in back-to-back years. We know the challenge that comes with having success and then trying to get back to that the following year.
"I can tell you right now, we're all excited for that challenge in terms of building this team back up, making tweaks, tightening screws on the process, and the people that we need to continue to elevate for us to get back to where we were and exceed that, and win championships around here."
From Poles' perspective, tweaks are all the Bears need. Sure, their takeaway-reliant defense could use some reinforcements in order to graduate from average to reliably stifling, and he'll likely need to find a new receiver to replace DJ Moore. Overall, though, Chicago is miles ahead of where it was when Poles was spending January pursuing Johnson's coaching services a year ago.
After one season with Johnson at the helm, Poles knows he hired the right man. In fact, he knew it in late July.
"The buy-in was incredible," Poles said. "I go back to training camp. He needed a physical day in the dog days of camp, and that was a really cool opportunity to see those guys buy into what he was saying, do something really hard. In the moment, does it feel good? No. But they believed, from his message, that it would help us down the road. And they went all out with it. And you saw that go through the entire season."
Johnson's effectiveness was publicly visible in each postgame locker room celebration, a collection of triumphant moments caught on camera that even included an enthusiastic Johnson removing his shirt while surrounded by his players. It was also obvious in Chicago's results, reversing course from a woeful team mired in annual struggles to a club that won 11 games, secured the second seed and hosted two home playoff games, a reality Bears fans understandably once believed they might never see again.
Those who lived through the magical run that was the 2025 season will be the first to relay what they experienced: After decades of disappointment, Chicago became a Bears town once again.
"As coach said, I'll never forget those playoff games," Poles said. "The games at the end of the season, they brought it. I had never seen Soldier Field like that before. I can't wait to get back to that point. I had family members flying into O'Hare texting me, saying, 'I've never seen anything like this' in terms of the amount of pride that our fans had, wearing their Bears gear, pumped up about the upcoming game.
"We felt that, and that's part of the job that we don't talk about a lot. It's just inspiring our fan base, inspiring the community, bringing that joy and that fun to the community because of the football team and how they're doing."
Now, the goal is not only to return to that point in 2026, but exceed it, an expectation the NFC North rival Lions demonstrated isn't easy to meet, even when everything seems to be in order on paper. However, there's plenty of reason to believe 2025 was only the beginning for the Bears, starting with the quarterback they selected first overall in 2024.
Caleb Williams blossomed under Johnson in 2025, improving seemingly by the week while also revealing one of the most undeniable clutch genes in football. He and the Bears established a reputation as a team that refused to quit and often broke the hearts of the opposition in thrilling fashion, no matter the venue. Even their playoff loss included one more heart-stopping moment: A fourth-down Williams heave to the end zone to tight end Cole Kmet for the game-tying touchdown -- a throw Poles described as "ridiculous" on Wednesday -- sending the Divisional Round clash to overtime.
"I heard the whole 'cardiac Bears' thing," Poles said. "I'd rather not be the cardiac Bears. But if that's what that game needs, then that's what you need to do. But I do think you've got to win close games. When you get down to those two minutes, that's important. They repped that a lot and the guys were prepared for it.
"I don't think you want to be living on the edge all the time, but I think what you can take from this season was that we were able to have poise down the stretch of games and be poised to finish, and guys made plays when they needed to be made. I don't think that's a characteristic that you should ever shy away from."
Ultimately, a Williams interception doomed their Super Bowl dreams. But as evidenced by Poles' optimism and relative satisfaction exuded on Wednesday, Chicago is only looking ahead into an incredibly bright future, one built on the back (and mind) of Johnson, and the arm (and legs) of Williams.