Ben Johnson Says He’s Tired of Hearing About Bears’ 2025 Success
Ben Johnson isn’t interested in offseason praise as the Bears turn their focus to a tougher 2026 season.
There’s no victory lap happening inside Halas Hall for Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson. Not after what his team accomplished in 2025.
And definitely not now.
Speaking at the 2026 NFL owners meetings, Johnson made it clear he’s already moved on from last season’s success, and he expects his team to do the same.
Ben Johnson Isn’t Interested in Praise for the Bears
Johnson didn’t dance around it. He's sick of hearing how good the Chicago Bears were in 2025.
“It’s been a long offseason in terms of you go downtown, or you go somewhere, and everyone’s patting you on the back and telling you what a great, great job you did,” Johnson said, via Adam Jahns of CHGO. “You don’t want to hear it. You don’t want to hear it anymore, alright.”
Noted, coach.
For a team that came within reach of the NFC Championship game, the outside noise has been overwhelmingly positive.
But Ben Johnson has had enough.
“It was great for the first week, but now our sights are turned,” he said.
The Message Inside Halas Hall Is Clear for Bears
Johnson’s comments weren’t just about blocking out praise. They were about setting and maintaining standards, as well as keeping up with the improvements across the NFC North.
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“And we got a monumental task at hand, because this division only got better so far this offseason, and we still have the draft to come,” Johnson said. “So our guys, we got to go back to work just like we did a year ago.”
The biggest development in the NFC North was the Minnesota Vikings adding Kyler Murray at quarterback. It's a transaction that could shift the division's standings, and Chicago knows it. Ben Johnson knows it. And the message to the locker room is simple: last year doesn’t carry over.
Pressure Is Part of the Chicago Bears' Plan
Johnson also made it clear how the Bears plan to handle expectations internally.
“It doesn’t get any easier. It’s going to continue to get harder,” he said. “They’re going to feel that pressure from the coaching staff so that when we get to these games in the fall that we’re going to be ready for it.”
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The Chicago Bears won't ease into 2026. They know the expectations have changed. It's the price teams pay when winning comes faster than expected. Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams seem equipped to handle it, but we won't know until the games kick off in September.
Still, pressure isn’t something to avoid. It means the Bears are finally doing something right.
Why This Matters for the 2026 Bears
The tone Ben Johnson is setting now will carry into training camp and beyond.
This is what teams do when they believe they’re close. They reset quickly. They ignore the outside noise. And they focus on what still needs to improve to make a legitimate Super Bowl run.
The Bears' roster made some lateral moves this offseason, and, by some measures, may have taken a small step backward. It's why Johnson, Williams, and the rest of the leaders inside the locker room can't live in the high of 2025. That bubble can burst really fast if Chicago gets off to a slow start.
The Bears' Bottom Line
Johnson isn’t interested in hearing about what the Bears did in 2025. He’s focused on what comes next.
And based on his message at the NFL Owners' Meetings, the Bears won’t be satisfied with being good.
They’re preparing for something more demanding than that.
