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Chicago Bears' offseason summed up in one powerful word by FOX Sports

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 5:46 PM ET

Chicago Bears fans are feeling good about the work general manager Ryan Poles did this offseason, ranging from the hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach to rebuilding the offensive line for Caleb Williams and getting the second-year quarterback some new weapons in the 2025 NFL Draft.

As a result, expectations for the 2025 season are high; higher than they've been in quite some time. Perhaps those expectations are a bit unrealistic, but that's what happens when a team like the Bears has struggled to be relevant since 2020, the last time they made the playoffs.

In fact, the feeling in and around Bears Nation was described best by Fox Sports, who used one word to describe every team's 2025 offseason.

For Chicago, that word was 'Upbeat.'

"Caleb Williams didn’t have the kind of rookie season that many league observers expected from the No. 1 overall pick, but there is optimism about what's to come for him under new head coach Ben Johnson," Fox Sports' Ben Arthur wrote. "The Bears have bulked up their offense around the former Heisman Trophy winner, raising intrigue about what’s possible for them in a competitive NFC North."

The narrative around Williams' rookie season is a confusing one. I wonder what analysts would think of Williams' year if Jayden Daniels didn't enjoy a borderline MVP campaign. The former USC star had the fifth-best single-season passing total in team history and set the record for the most consecutive passes without an interception by a rookie in NFL history

Not too bad if you ask me.

Remember: Williams' rookie year was memorable despite playing behind an offensive line that surrendered the most sacks in the league and under a play-caller whose best contribution to the team was getting himself fired. He has nowhere to go but up.

So, yeah, upbeat is an appropriate word to describe the buzz around the Chicago Bears in 2025. It's been a while since Bears fans felt this way, and if Chicago upends the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 on Monday Night Football, upbeat will quickly flip to absolute confidence in what this team can accomplish this season.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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