This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2025) |
| 2025 Chicago Bears season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | George McCaskey |
| General manager | Ryan Poles |
| Head coach | Ben Johnson |
| Home stadium | Soldier Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–3 |
| Division place | 1st NFC North |
| Uniform | |
| | |
The 2025 season is the Chicago Bears' 106th in the National Football League (NFL), their fourth under the leadership of general manager Ryan Poles and their first under head coach Ben Johnson. This is their first season since 1982 without Virginia Halas McCaskey since she took over as team owner, as she died on February 6, 2025 at the age of 102.
The Bears' 9–3 start is their best since they also started 9–3 in 2010. With the Eagles beating the Lions in Week 11, the Bears lead the NFC North for the first time since they started 5–1 in 2020. The Bears improved on their 5–12 record from 2024 following a week 10 win against the New York Giants. They are still seeking to make the playoffs after a four–year absence, and end their six year NFC North title drought. With a week 13 win over the defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Bears clinched their first winning season since 2018. This also put the Bears on a 5-game winning streak.
Virginia Halas McCaskey, who was the oldest of George Halas' children and the principal owner of the franchise since 1983, died on February 6, 2025 at the age of 102. [1] [2]
On November 29, 2024, the Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus after the team was 4–8 and in the midst of a six-game losing streak. It was the first time in franchise history the Bears fired their head coach in the middle of the season. [3] The Bears promoted offensive coordinator Thomas Brown as interim head coach, and under Brown the team went 1–4 in their last five games to finish the year at 5–12. On January 21, 2025, the Bears hired Ben Johnson as their 18th head coach. [4] Johnson had previously been with the Miami Dolphins from 2012 to 2018, working up the ranks as offensive assistant, assistant quarterbacks coach, tight ends coach, assistant wide receivers coach and wide receivers coach. He was then hired by the Detroit Lions in 2019 as an offensive quality control coach before moving up to tight ends coach and passing game coordinator in 2020 and 2021. He took over as offensive coordinator in 2022 under head coach Dan Campbell, and over the next three seasons, he helped make the Lions one of the best offenses in the league – they ranked in the top five in scoring in each of Johnson's three seasons, leading the league in 2024 with 564 points (fourth-most in NFL history and a franchise record).
On February 20, 2025, the Bears announced the full 2025 coaching staff. [5]
| Position | Player | Tag | 2025 team | Date signed | Contract | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | Keenan Allen | UFA | Los Angeles Chargers | August 5 | 1 year, $8.5 million | [6] |
| CB | Josh Blackwell | RFA | Chicago Bears | March 6 | 2 years, $5 million | [7] |
| T | Larry Borom | UFA | Miami Dolphins | March 13 | 1 year, $2.5 million | [8] |
| TE | Stephen Carlson | UFA | Chicago Bears | March 13 | 1 year, minimum | |
| WR | DeAndre Carter | UFA | Cleveland Browns | March 19 | 1 year, minimum | [9] |
| S | Adrian Colbert | UFA | ||||
| S | Douglas Coleman III | ERFA | ||||
| DT | Byron Cowart | UFA | New York Jets | March 13 | 1 year, $1.36 million | [10] |
| T | Jake Curhan | UFA | Arizona Cardinals | March 14 | 1 year, $1.17 million | [11] |
| LS | Scott Daly | UFA | Chicago Bears | March 17 | 1 year, minimum | |
| RB | Darrynton Evans | UFA | Buffalo Bills | March 13 | 1 year, $1.21 million | [12] |
| DL | Jonathan Ford | ERFA | Chicago Bears | April 8 | 1 year, minimum | [13] |
| DE | Daniel Hardy | ERFA | Chicago Bears | April 8 | 1 year, minimum | [14] |
| RB | Travis Homer | UFA | Chicago Bears | March 17 | 1 year, $2 million | [15] |
| G | Teven Jenkins | UFA | Cleveland Browns | March 20 | 1 year, $3.05 million | [16] |
| WR | Collin Johnson | UFA | Las Vegas Raiders | May 1 | [17] | |
| CB | Jaylon Jones | RFA | Arizona Cardinals | March 21 | 1 year, $1.2 million | [18] |
| C | Doug Kramer Jr. | RFA | Chicago Bears | March 18 | 1 year, minimum | [19] |
| TE | Marcedes Lewis | UFA | Denver Broncos | October 29 | Practice squad | |
| DE | Jacob Martin | UFA | Washington Commanders | March 13 | 1 year, $3 million | [20] [21] |
| S | Tarvarius Moore | UFA | Chicago Bears | March 10 | 1 year, $1.17 million | [22] |
| G | Bill Murray | ERFA | Chicago Bears | April 8 | 1 year, minimum | [23] |
| LB | Amen Ogbongbemiga | UFA | Chicago Bears | March 6 | 2 years, $5.25 million | [24] |
| G | Matt Pryor | UFA | Philadelphia Eagles | March 27 | $1.355 million | [25] |
| LB | Jack Sanborn | RFA | Dallas Cowboys | March 12 | 1 year, $1.5 million | [26] |
| LS | Patrick Scales | UFA | ||||
| C | Coleman Shelton | UFA | Los Angeles Rams | March 13 | 2 years, $12 million | [27] |
| CB | Ameer Speed | ERFA | Chicago Bears | April 8 | 1 year, minimum | [28] |
| DE | Darrell Taylor | UFA | Houston Texans | March 10 | 1 year, $5.25 million | [29] |
| WR | Nsimba Webster | UFA | ||||
| DT | Chris Williams | RFA | Chicago Bears | April 8 | 1 year,$3.26 million | [30] |
| RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent Legend
| ||||||
| Position | Player | Previous team | Date signed | Contract | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | Durham Smythe | Miami Dolphins | March 12 | 1 year, minimum | [31] |
| DT | Grady Jarrett | Atlanta Falcons | March 12 | 3 years, $42.75 million | [31] |
| C | Drew Dalman | Atlanta Falcons | March 13 | 3 years, $42 million | [32] |
| DE | Dayo Odeyingbo | Indianapolis Colts | March 13 | 3 years, $48 million | [32] |
| WR | Olamide Zaccheaus | Washington Commanders | March 17 | 1 year, minimum | [33] |
| WR | Devin Duvernay | Jacksonville Jaguars | March 19 | 1 year, minimum | [15] |
| CB | Nick McCloud | San Francisco 49ers | March 24 | 1 year, minimum | [34] |
| CB | Shaun Wade | Los Angeles Chargers | April 3 | 1 year, minimum | [35] |
| WR | Miles Boykin | Seattle Seahawks | April 3 | 1 year, minimum | [35] |
| QB | Case Keenum | Houston Texans | April 4 | 1 year, $3 million | [36] |
| Position | Player | Team | Date traded | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | Jonah Jackson | Los Angeles Rams | March 12 | CHI receives: Jackson LAR receives: 2025 sixth-round pick (202nd overall) | [37] |
| G | Joe Thuney | Kansas City Chiefs | March 12 | CHI receives: Thuney KC receives: 2026 fourth-round pick | [37] |
The Bears signed the following players to reserve/future contracts: Maurice Alexander (WR), Theo Benedet (OT), Alex Cook (FS), Chris Glaser (OG), John Jackson (WR), Carl Jones Jr. (LB), Jamree Kromah (DE), Joshua Miles (OT), Jordan Murray (TE), Austin Reed (QB), Ricky Stromberg (C), Samori Toure (WR) and Joel Wilson (TE). [38]
| Position | Player | Date | 2025 team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | Gerald Everett | February 21, 2025 [39] | ||
| DE | DeMarcus Walker |
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Draft trades
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 10 | Miami Dolphins | T 24–24 | 0–0–1 | Soldier Field | Recap |
| 2 | August 17 | Buffalo Bills | W 38–0 | 1–0–1 | Soldier Field | Recap |
| 3 | August 22 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 29–27 | 2–0–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
| Bears | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bears | 7 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 38 |
at Soldier Field
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 0 | 10 | 0 | 19 | 29 |
| Chiefs | 10 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
On May 12, the NFL announced that the Bears will host their longtime rival Green Bay Packers on Saturday, December 20 as part of a Week 16 double header that will air exclusively on Fox. [49] Later that day, the NFL announced that the Bears will travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Black Friday to face the Eagles in their Week 13 matchup. [50]
| Week | Date | Time (CT) | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | TV | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | 7:15 p.m. | Minnesota Vikings | L 24–27 | 0–1 | Soldier Field | ESPN/ABC | Recap |
| 2 | September 14 | 12:00 p.m. | at Detroit Lions | L 21–52 | 0–2 | Ford Field | Fox | Recap |
| 3 | September 21 | 3:25 p.m. | Dallas Cowboys | W 31–14 | 1–2 | Soldier Field | Fox | Recap |
| 4 | September 28 | 3:25 p.m. | at Las Vegas Raiders | W 25–24 | 2–2 | Allegiant Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 5 | Bye | |||||||
| 6 | October 13 | 7:15 p.m. | at Washington Commanders | W 25–24 | 3–2 | Northwest Stadium | ABC | Recap |
| 7 | October 19 | 12:00 p.m. | New Orleans Saints | W 26–14 | 4–2 | Soldier Field | Fox | Recap |
| 8 | October 26 | 12:00 p.m. | at Baltimore Ravens | L 16–30 | 4–3 | M&T Bank Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 9 | November 2 | 12:00 p.m. | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 47–42 | 5–3 | Paycor Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 10 | November 9 | 12:00 p.m. | New York Giants | W 24–20 | 6–3 | Soldier Field | Fox | Recap |
| 11 | November 16 | 12:00 p.m. | at Minnesota Vikings | W 19–17 | 7–3 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Fox | Recap |
| 12 | November 23 | 12:00 p.m. | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 31–28 | 8–3 | Soldier Field | CBS | Recap |
| 13 | November 28 | 2:00 p.m. | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 24–15 | 9–3 | Lincoln Financial Field | Prime Video | Recap |
| 14 | December 7 | 3:25 p.m. | at Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | Fox | |||
| 15 | December 14 | 12:00 p.m. | Cleveland Browns | Soldier Field | Fox | |||
| 16 | December 20 | 7:20 p.m. | Green Bay Packers | Soldier Field | Fox | |||
| 17 | December 28 | 7:20 p.m. | at San Francisco 49ers | Levi's Stadium | NBC | |||
| 18 | January 3/4 | TBD | Detroit Lions | Soldier Field | TBD | |||
Notes
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 0 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 27 |
| Bears | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
In their season opener against the Vikings, the Bears led 17–6 through the first three quarters thanks to a Caleb Williams rushing touchdown and a pick-six by Nahshon Wright. However, they allowed 21 unanswered points in the 4th quarter, including touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones Sr., resulting in a 24–27 defeat. With the loss, the Bears started their season 0–1 and lost their sixth straight home game against the Vikings.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Lions | 14 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 52 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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This was Ben Johnson's first visit to Detroit since he left the Lions. With the blowout loss, the Bears fell to 0-2 overall and against the NFC North.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Bears | 14 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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This was their first win under head coach Ben Johnson. With the win, the Bears improved to 1-2 and 1-0 against the NFC East.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 3 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 25 |
| Raiders | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
at Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Bears blocked an attempted game-winning field goal by the Raiders to secure their 800th win in franchise history. [52]
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 6 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 25 |
| Commanders | 0 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
at Northwest Stadium, Landover, Maryland
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Running back D'Andre Swift rushed for 108 yards on 14 carries and added two receptions for 67 yards, including a 55-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Kicker Jake Moody, who was activated from the Bears' practice squad, converted four of five field goal attempts, including the game-winner, as the Bears avenged their last-second loss to the Commanders from the previous season. [53]
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Bears | 3 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Bears snapped their eight-game losing streak against the Saints, beating them for the first time since the 2008 season. This also marked the Bears first 4 game win streak since 2018. [54]
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 6 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 16 |
| Ravens | 0 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 30 |
at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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With the loss, the Bears fell to 4–3 for the second year in a row.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 7 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 47 |
| Bengals | 10 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 42 |
at Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Bears appeared to seal the game when DJ Moore scored a 16-yard touchdown to make it 41–27 with 4:53 remaining. However, Bengals' quarterback Joe Flacco led the Bengals on a four-play touchdown drive that concluded with a 23-yard touchdown pass to tight ends Noah Fant with 1:43 left. Bengals' wide receiver Tee Higgins then caught a two-point conversion to trim the Bears’ lead to 41–35. The Bengals successfully executed an onside kick that deflected off the leg of Daniel Hardy and was recovered by defensive end Joseph Ossai. With 49 seconds remaining, the Bengals took a one-point lead after Flacco threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Andrei Iosivas. On the ensuing drive, Caleb Williams connected with Colston Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left, giving Chicago a 47–42 victory and thwarting the Bengals’ comeback attempt. Williams and the Bears offense had one of their greater games, accumulting 576 total yards of offense. With a gutsy win, the Bears secure their 4th win over Cincinnati since 2013 and improve to their first 5–3 start since 2020. [55]
Caleb Williams is the first starting quarterback with more than one reception in a game since George Taliaferro of the 1953 Baltimore Colts. [56]
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Bears | 7 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 24 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Although the Giants held a 20–10 lead with 10:19 remaining, the Bears staged yet another comeback as Caleb Williams scored two touchdowns to secure the victory. With the win, the Bears improved to 6–3 for the first time since the 2018 season. [57]
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 0 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 19 |
| Vikings | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Although the Vikings overcame a 16–3 fourth-quarter deficit and took a one-point lead with 50 seconds remaining, a 56-yard kickoff return by Devin Duvernay set up Cairo Santos to convert a 48-yard game-winning field goal as time expired, completing another comeback victory for Chicago.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| Bears | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Although the Bears’ former rival quarterback from the Packers, Aaron Rodgers, now plays for the Steelers, the Bears didn’t face him because he was sidelined with a broken left wrist. [58] With the win, the Bears improved to 8-3 and 2-1 in the AFC North.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| Eagles | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 15 |
at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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With their first win over Philadelphia since 2011, the Bears snapped a six game losing streak against the Eagles and swept the NFC East while improving to 9-3. The Panthers win over the Rams would get Chicago to first place in the NFC.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Packers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
| NFC North | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Chicago Bears | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 1–2 | 6–2 | 313 | 307 | W5 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8 | 3 | 1 | .708 | 3–0 | 6–2–1 | 294 | 226 | W3 |
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 5 | 0 | .615 | 1–3 | 5–4 | 394 | 304 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 2–2 | 2–5 | 224 | 281 | L4 |
| Seed | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division leaders | |||||||||||
| 1 [a] | Chicago Bears | North | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 1–2 | 6–2 | .378 | .341 | W5 |
| 2 [a] [b] | Los Angeles Rams | West | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 2–1 | 4–3 | .551 | .523 | L1 |
| 3 | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 2–2 | 7–3 | .527 | .515 | L2 |
| 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 2–0 | 5–3 | .551 | .435 | W1 |
| Wild cards | |||||||||||
| 5 [b] | Seattle Seahawks | West | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 2–2 | 5–3 | .428 | .343 | W2 |
| 6 | Green Bay Packers | North | 8 | 3 | 1 | .708 | 3–0 | 6–2–1 | .419 | .384 | W3 |
| 7 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 9 | 4 | 0 | .692 | 4–1 | 8–2 | .462 | .382 | W3 |
| In the hunt | |||||||||||
| 8 | Detroit Lions | North | 8 | 5 | 0 | .615 | 1–3 | 5–4 | .478 | .413 | W1 |
| 9 | Carolina Panthers | South | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 2–1 | 5–3 | .509 | .471 | W1 |
| 10 | Dallas Cowboys | East | 6 | 6 | 1 | .500 | 3–1 | 3–5–1 | .487 | .329 | L1 |
| 11 [c] | Atlanta Falcons | South | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 1–3 | 3–4 | .500 | .354 | L1 |
| 12 [c] | Minnesota Vikings | North | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 2–2 | 2–5 | .569 | .490 | L4 |
| 14 [d] | Washington Commanders | East | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 1–1 | 1–6 | .531 | .324 | L7 |
| Eliminated from postseason contention | |||||||||||
| 13 [d] | Arizona Cardinals | West | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 0–4 | 3–6 | .568 | .408 | L4 |
| 15 | New Orleans Saints | South | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 1–2 | 2–7 | .561 | .346 | L2 |
| 16 | New York Giants | East | 2 | 11 | 0 | .154 | 1–3 | 1–8 | .606 | .667 | L7 |