Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears were one of the better storylines from the 2025 NFL season, grabbing the hearts of the city for a fun year. Chicago finished with a record of 11-6 overall, which was good enough to clinch the NFC North division title for the first time since 2018.

The Bears were even able to win a postseason game against the arch-rival Green Bay Packers, and they gave the Los Angeles Rams everything they could in the divisional round. But in the end, the magic of the Bears’ season ran out, and they now head into a critical offseason.

Chicago saw major growth all over the roster, but mainly from star quarterback Caleb Williams. Under new head coach Ben Johnson, Williams seemed to show the hype that he entered the league with as the former No. 1 overall draft pick.

Going forward, this coach-quarterback duo should only get better with experience, but the rest of the roster will also need to be upgraded. Chicago wants to build a consistent winner, but in order to do that, it will mean that the team has to spend.

One area of concern across the roster is on the defensive side of the ball, most notably in pressuring the opposing quarterback. The Bears finished the season ranked 29th overall in pressure rate for the regular season, and this is an area of concern heading into next year. 

One would think that Chicago would look to address this weakness, either in free agency or via trade. But how this organization goes about this remains unknown at this point in the offseason.

Chicago took advantage of an easier schedule this year, and now it will be the hunted team in the division. All the pressure is on this front office to keep adding this offseason, and if they can, the Bears could be real Super Bowl contenders going into 2026. 

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TJ Watt Sent to Chicago Bears

If the Bears want to make a splash in addressing the pass rush this offseason, the team should look no further than Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt. Watt has been placed on the trade rumors board this year, and even if a deal is unlikely, it seems that he could be had for the right price.

Landing Watt from the Steelers won’t come cheap for any team, so the Bears would need to be willing to pay what it takes. But the overall production level of Watt has been impressive, and he could transform this defensive unit.

Last season with the Steelers, Watt put up seven sacks, two interceptions, 10 tackles for loss, and 55 total tackles. Watt has registered at least seven sacks in every season of his NFL career except one, showing a strong consistency.

To go even further into his numbers, Watt has posted at least 11.5 sacks in every season that he has played in 15 games or more, other than his rookie year. Pairing Watt with Montez Sweat could offer the Bears one of the better pass-rush rotations in the NFL, which would propel this team.

Watt does have a $42 million cap hit this season, which could complicate matters in a trade. But for the Bears, this could be a move that pushes them over the top, making it more than worth it.

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