# 2025 Chicago Bears season

The 2025 season will be 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. The Bears will attempt to improve on their 5–12 record from 2024, make the playoffs after a four-year absence, and end their six-year NFC North title drought. This will be their first year without Virginia Halas McCaskey as the owner, as she passed away on February 6, 2025 at the age of 102.

## Offseason
### Ownership changes

Virginia Halas McCaskey, who was the oldest of George Halas' children and the principal owner of the franchise since 1983, passed away on February 6, 2025 at the age of 102.

### Staff changes

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. 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. 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 a 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 Brown'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.

### Roster changes
#### Free agents

| Position | Player | Tag | 2025 team | Date signed | Contract |
| WR | Keenan Allen | UFA | | | |
| CB | Josh Blackwell | RFA | Chicago Bears | March 6 | 2 years, $5 million |
| T | Larry Borom | UFA | Miami Dolphins | March 13 | 1 year, $2.5 million |
| TE | Stephen Carlson | UFA | | | |
| WR | DeAndre Carter | UFA | | | |
| S | Adrian Colbert | UFA | | | |
| S | Douglas Coleman III | ERFA | | | |
| DT | Byron Cowart | UFA | New York Jets | March 13 | 1 year, $1.36 million |
| T | Jake Curhan | UFA | | | |
| LS | Scott Daly | UFA | | | |
| RB | Darrynton Evans | UFA | Buffalo Bills | March 13 | 1 year, $1.21 million |
| DL | Jonathan Ford | ERFA | | | |
| DE | Daniel Hardy | ERFA | | | |
| RB | Travis Homer | UFA | | | |
| G | Teven Jenkins | UFA | | | |
| WR | Collin Johnson | UFA | | | |
| CB | Jaylon Jones | RFA | | | |
| C | Doug Kramer Jr. | RFA | | | |
| TE | Marcedes Lewis | UFA | | | |
| DE | Jacob Martin | UFA | Washington Commanders | March 13 | 1 year, $3 million |
| S | Tarvarius Moore | UFA | Chicago Bears | March 10 | 1 year, $1.17 million |
| G | Bill Murray | ERFA | | | |
| LB | Amen Ogbongbemiga | UFA | Chicago Bears | March 6 | 2 years, $5.25 million |
| G | Matt Pryor | UFA | | | |
| LB | Jack Sanborn | RFA | Dallas Cowboys | March 12 | 1 year |
| LS | Patrick Scales | UFA | | | |
| C | Coleman Shelton | UFA | Los Angeles Rams | March 13 | 2 years, $12 million |
| CB | Ameer Speed | ERFA | | | |
| DE | Darrell Taylor | UFA | Houston Texans | March 10 | 1 year, $5.25 million |
| WR | Nsimba Webster | UFA | | | |
| DT | Chris Williams | RFA | | | |
| RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent Legend  – Light green background indicates a player has been re-signed by the Bears.  – Light red background indicates a player has departed the Bears. |||||||

#### Signings

| Position | Player | Previous team | Date signed | Contract |
| C | Drew Dalman | Atlanta Falcons | March 13 | 3 years, $42 million |
| DT | Grady Jarrett | Atlanta Falcons | March 12 | 3 years, $42.75 million |
| DE | Dayo Odeyingbo | Indianapolis Colts | March 13 | 3 years, $48 million |
| TE | Durham Smythe | Miami Dolphins | March 12 | 1 year |
| WR | Olamide Zaccheaus | Washington Commanders | March 17 | 1 year |

#### Trades

| 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) | |
| G | Joe Thuney | Kansas City Chiefs | March 12 | CHI receives: Thuney KC receives: 2026 fourth-round pick | |

#### Reserve/future contracts

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).

#### Releases

| Position | Player | Date | 2025 team | Notes |
| TE | Gerald Everett | February 21, 2025 | | |
| DE | DeMarcus Walker | February 21, 2025 | | |

## Draft

2025 Chicago Bears draft selections :
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 10 | | | | |
| 2 | 39 | | | | From Panthers |
| 2 | 41 | | | | |
| 3 | 72 | | | | |
| 4 | 109 | Traded to the Buffalo Bills | Traded to the Buffalo Bills | Traded to the Buffalo Bills | |
| 5 | 148 | | | | |
| 6 | 185 | Traded to the Seattle Seahawks | Traded to the Seattle Seahawks | Traded to the Seattle Seahawks | |
| 6 | 192 | Traded to the Cleveland Browns | Traded to the Cleveland Browns | Traded to the Cleveland Browns | From Dolphins |
| 6 | 202 | Traded to the Los Angeles Rams | Traded to the Los Angeles Rams | Traded to the Los Angeles Rams | From Texans via Steelers |
| 7 | 224 | Traded to the Miami Dolphins | Traded to the Miami Dolphins | Traded to the Miami Dolphins | |
| 7 | 233 | | | | From Bengals |
| 7 | 240 | | | | From Vikings via Browns |
Draft trades
* ↑ The Bears traded a 2023 first-round selection (1st overall) to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a second-round selection (39th overall), 2023 first- and second-round selections (9th and 61st overall), a 2024 first-round selection (1st overall) and WR D. J. Moore.
* ↑ The Bears traded a fourth-round selection (109th overall) to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round selection (144th overall).
* ↑ The Bears traded a sixth-round selection (185th overall) to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for LB Darrell Taylor.
* 1 2 The Bears traded a sixth-round selection (192nd overall) to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a seventh-round selection (240th overall) and DT Chris Williams.
* ↑ The Bears traded a seventh-round selection (224th overall) and WR Chase Claypool to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a sixth-round selection (192nd overall).
* ↑ The Bears traded a sixth-round selection (202nd overall) to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for G Jonah Jackson.
* ↑ The Bears traded QB Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a conditional sixth-round selection (202nd overall). The condition – which would have given Chicago a fourth-round selection if Fields played in 51% of the Steelers' snaps in 2024 – was not met.
* ↑ The Bears traded RB Khalil Herbert to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for a seventh-round selection (233rd overall).

## Preseason

The Bears' preseason opponents and schedule will be announced in May, in conjunction with the release of the regular season schedule.

## Regular season
### Schedule

Listed below are the Bears' opponents for 2025. Exact dates and times will be announced in May.
| Category | Home | Away |
| Division opponents (NFC North) | Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings | Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings |
| Conference opponents (NFC East) | Dallas Cowboys New York Giants | Philadelphia Eagles Washington Commanders |
| Conference opponents (based on 2024 division placement) | New Orleans Saints | San Francisco 49ers |
| Interconference opponents (AFC North) | Cleveland Browns Pittsburgh Steelers | Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals |
| Interconference opponent (based on 2024 division placement) | — | Las Vegas Raiders |