The Chicago Bears had about as good a 2025 season as the fans could've asked for. While they didn't win the Super Bowl, they got confirmation of two huge things.
The first was that Ben Johnson is a good head coach, and they made the right hire. But, more importantly, the Bears got confirmation that Caleb Williams is worthy of being the franchise quarterback for years to come.
According to Jason Lieser of The Chicago Sun-Times, the fans aren't alone in this thought. Ryan Poles is also well aware of what Williams means to this franchise, and thanks to that, Poles is planning to revolve the offseason around the star QB's future contract extension.
Bears GM already ready for Caleb Williams extension
"As general manager Ryan Poles manages his roster, he's factoring in the likelihood of a major contract extension for Caleb Williams," Lieser writes.
What makes this so noteworthy for the Bears is that, according to Lieser, this was brought up unprompted. Poles wanted to make it clear that Williams' future mammoth extension is on his mind this offseason.
The future huge contract of Williams will have a big impact on what the Bears wind up doing in free agency, the draft, and in the trade market.
With a looming huge contract, the Bears will likely look to save money in some regards, while also spending for the short-term without long-term cap hits.
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This offseason, the Bears are likely entertaining trade offers for DJ Moore, Gervon Dexter, Tyson Bagent, and they've already granted Tremaine Edmunds permission to look for a trade; if not, they'd simply cut him.
While there will be some additions coming for the Bears this offseason in hopes of being a Super Bowl contender, Poles is going to operate with the knowledge that a huge contract is on the horizon for Williams.
While it might sting that the Bears aren't going to splurge in free agency, the reason, being a Williams extension on the horizon, is good news for the Bears.
They've finally found their franchise quarterback. Williams is worth a huge extension, something that the Bears haven't had to worry about recently with Mitchell Trubisky and Justin Fields not panning out.
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