Getting Jeffery Simmons was a massive surprise because nobody expected it. There had been no rumors or reports from credible sources indicating such a thing. Then you have the Khalil Mack situation. Multiple high-ranking insiders openly reported that the 35-year-old pass rusher was the most obvious trade target for the spiraling Los Angeles Chargers, and the Chicago Bears were the team to watch. Yet with just five days until the deadline, nothing has happened. Did the Bears abandon the pursuit?

No, the details, if true, are considerably more devious than that. Retired NFL defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko revealed what’s going on in Los Angeles on Twitter (X). Keep in mind he played for the organization between 2020 and 2022. He’s likely to have people in the building he knows. Based on what he’s heard, Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz is basically holding Mack and other players hostage. There is a feeling he will be fired after this season, and he doesn’t want to set up his replacement with extra assets.

The Bears have already made an offer for Mack: a 6th-round pick in 2027. L.A. remains resistant to the idea, believing that, at 0-7, they can still rescue the season.

Khalil Mack deserves way better than such treatment.

It is impossible to fathom what planet the Chargers’ decision-makers are living on. Right now, the AFC has 10 teams with at least a 4-4 record this season. Los Angeles would need four of them to completely implode down the stretch while also winning 9 of their remaining 10 games. Among the opponents of those games are the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and San Francisco 49ers. There are zero indications that this team is remotely equipped to do anything of the sort.

They need to accept reality and do right by some of their veterans. Khalil Mack has been a loyal soldier for them since 2022, delivering some of his best work. Holding him in place out of petty stubbornness is bad business and lacks basic human decency. It is little wonder you don’t hear many former players singing the Chargers organization’s praises. It’s always had a bit of a dubious reputation. Poor player treatment is certainly among those mentioned.

The Bears are essentially stuck.

They’ve set a price they feel is fair for Mack. He’s 35 on an expiring deal and has seen his production dip over the past month. Going any higher would be too risky. They can’t force the Chargers to see reason. All signs indicate that general manager Ryan Poles has stayed in contact, but Hortiz remains fixed on his position. Unless a stronger offer is made, Mack and everybody else won’t be traded. It would explain the subtle indications that the Bears are looking at other edge options on the market, as well as cornerbacks.

One can only feel bad for Mack. He doesn’t deserve to be treated like this. A trade back to Chicago would’ve given him a chance to finish the journey he started in 2018, chasing a Super Bowl. Accomplishing that would have put the cap on one of the greatest final chapters of a career in NFL history. Instead, he’s left in football hell, playing for a vastly underachieving franchise.

Illinois is preparing what appears to be its strongest attempt to date to strike a deal with the Chicago Bears on legislation that would allow them to remain in the state. All signs have indicated positive momentum. The fall veto session in Springfield is about to begin. Everybody is waiting to see what happens. That includes Indiana. Illinois’ eternal neighbor to the southeast has been working for years to pry the Bears away from them. They appear to be incredibly close, but haven’t gotten the team to fully commit yet.

Those attempts may have taken a significant blow over the past couple of days. The United States held its midterm elections this week. The House of Representatives, Senate, and governor jobs were all up for grabs. It was a gigantic victory for the Democratic Party, scooping up several seats in the House and Senate and winning almost every governor’s race. Indiana certainly felt the effects. The Democrats stole one seat from the Republicans. There was an even bigger earthquake at the state level.

Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston, one of the most powerful Republicans in the state, lost re-election to challenger Lauren Cole. This is pretty significant, considering Huston was critical to the push to bring the Bears to Indiana.

Don’t undersell the setback for Indiana in the Chicago Bears sweepstakes.

Huston was pivotal to the state government passing all the necessary legislation to sway the team, making it much easier to build there. Having Huston controlling the action in the House chamber was critical for preventing any potential revolts against the idea of bringing the Bears across the border. After all, it’s going to be very expensive. A lot of people probably don’t want to fork over hundreds of millions of dollars to help a private company relocate. Suddenly, that control is in danger.

There won’t be nearly as much unity as there was over the past two years. It doesn’t kill Indiana’s chances by any means. However, if the Chicago Bears get the sense that people in the state are starting to sour on the idea, it may compel them to work something out with Illinois. Everything to this point has indicated that the Bears would prefer to stay put. If not, they likely would’ve moved already. That said, Indiana is a legitimate option. That confident approach they’ve stuck to since the beginning now looks shaky.

Clarity is right around the corner now.

Several key powerbrokers in Springfield have expressed optimism that a deal with the Bears is close. If they can hammer out some of the lingering details, it’s possible the legislation finally gets pushed through. From there, all the team has to do is pick a spot. Most believe they’ll just build in Arlington Heights as planned. Some believe the city of Chicago will make another run at keeping them downtown. Either way, it will be almost a foregone conclusion at that point.

Indiana has no choice but to wait it out and hope the complicated politics of Illinois come to their rescue. Not having Huston as a loud voice of support really weakens their stance. It makes things considerably harder. The last thing they can afford right now is interference. All eyes are on Springfield now. If Bears part-owner Pat Ryan has his way, a deal will be hammered out by the end of the month.

The Chicago Bears dropped a bombshell last week when they secured star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans for two 1st round picks and change. It is the biggest move the organization has made since the Khalil Mack blockbuster eight years ago. This time felt different, though. Unlike back then, the Bears have the quarterback and head coach in place to take full advantage of it. So one can understand why fans are so excited about the next few months.

That said, not everybody was happy about the outcome. Obviously, the rest of the NFC North doesn’t like it. However, one team seemed to go out of their way to prevent it from happening. It was reported last week that New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh bypassed Titans management to contact ownership directly, hoping they would stop GM Mike Borgonzi from negotiating only with the Bears. It goes even further than that. Easton Freeze of A-to-Z Sports has it on good authority that New York was trying to sabotage the trade by forcing it into the open.

They wanted to turn Jeffery Simmons against the Titans.

“Another fact, at least this is factually a common perception: That Giants’ building is hard to trust with delicate situations. New York is a very leaky part of the country in the NFL world. That makes New York a dubious partner sometimes. My belief is the Giants wanted a door opened to a bidding war so the news could get out. It’s the oldest trick in the book, turning a shopped trade over to the court of public opinion to sow internal discord between player and team. It’s all a leverage game. And it’s exactly why trust between Poles and Borgonzi mattered so much by Borgonzi’s own, repeated retelling of things.

That doesn’t mean Borgonzi only talked to Chicago, either. The sources driving this national story seem to be conflating the Giants being frozen out with the rest of the league being frozen out, which is awfully convenient to the Giants’ narrative. The Titans fielded calls on Simmons in the days and weeks leading up to the deal.”

Ryan Poles handled his part to perfection.

One thing you have to give the Bears’ general manager is that he understands the value of absolute secrecy. There are few things other organizations hate more than unwanted attention. That is what trades bring. The best way to earn trust in negotiations is to ensure that no one has any clue that discussions are taking place. Yes, he and Borgonzi have been friends for years. Even so, it was the knowledge that Poles didn’t let things slip out that helped talks unfold as they did.

Then you have the other factor in play. Unlike other teams, which tried the usual tactic of coming in with low offers to gauge what the Titans might settle for, Poles knew he had to show he was serious. He immediately opened with two 1st round picks as the offer. That immediately got the Titans’ attention. It said the Bears were serious about making a deal and doing so in a way that helped both sides avoid unwanted controversy. Chicago got the defensive star they desperately needed. Tennessee gets the resources necessary to fast-track a rebuild.

As has become routine, New York misplayed their hand.

Let’s not forget this is the same organization that willingly traded away Dexter Lawrence in the offseason. They already had a stud defensive lineman and gave him away for a 1st round pick. They’re going to suddenly turn around and trade two 1st rounders for Jeffery Simmons? That one is a little hard to believe. This feels more like their attempt to force the Titans to lower their asking price by getting the trade out in public. Unfortunately, they miscalculated how quickly the Bears were able to move.

Now they come across looking whiny about not getting their way. Harbaugh didn’t make many friends with his greasy tactic of calling out Titans ownership, and an organization that already had a dubious reputation for professional courtesy took another hit. One can imagine they must’ve been fuming as Simmons tore through the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. Justice prevailed.

The Chicago Bears have had some of the worst luck at left tackle for the past few years. Every time it looks like they might be finding some stability at the position, an injury happens. Braxton Jones got hit three times in three years, landing on Injured Reserve after season-ending knee surgery. Ozzy Trapilo tore his patellar tendon in the playoff win over Green Bay earlier this year. Now rumors are emerging from Halas Hall that Theo Benedet, who’s played pretty well this season, suffered a separated shoulder in the win over Seattle. This has put head coach Ben Johnson in a brutal conundrum.

As good a schemer as he is, not having a clear option at left tackle makes everything harder. His options at the moment don’t look ideal. Jones is out. Benedet will likely miss at least one game. By my estimate, that leaves the Bears’ head coach with three solutions. None of them are what you’d call ideal. So which will the team go with against Tampa Bay on Sunday night?

#1 – Ben Johnson trusts Trapilo to step up

This is the most straightforward answer. Trapilo has been getting a steady stream of snaps to play every week since the game in Atlanta. Johnson and offensive line coach Dan Roushar have tried to ease him back into things after such a nasty knee injury in January. So far, it hasn’t been great. He’s allowed 3 pressures and a sack in 21 offensive snaps. It is pretty clear he is rusty and still hasn’t fully regained confidence in his knee. Benedet’s play allowed the Bears to take their time. That option may no longer be on the table. Are the Bears prepared to trust Trapilo to start against Tampa Bay? Only they can answer that, and they aren’t talking.

#2 – Going with the playoff solution again

In the divisional round against Los Angeles, after Trapilo injured his knee, the Bears made the surprise decision not to play Benedet in his place. Instead, they shifted left guard Joe Thuney to left tackle and plugged Jordan McFadden in at guard. The results were mixed: Chicago scored only 17 points, but that was in inclement weather against a good defense. Perhaps they might have better success this time, either with McFadden or Luke Newman taking over for Thuney at guard.

#3 – Call Taylor Decker or Cam Robinson

This last option depends entirely on Benedet’s health projections. If this shoulder problem keeps him out for several weeks and they don’t trust Trapilo yet, it would make sense to call up one of the best free agents left on the market. Decker, a former Pro Bowler who played for Ben Johnson in Detroit, would be the ideal option. However, it was reported months ago that he opposed playing for a division rival, given his loyalty to the Lions. Maybe he’s changed his tune. If not, Robinson has 114 games of starting experience. While he isn’t a stud by any means, he can be serviceable if utilized properly.

Right now, with it being a short week, expect the Bears to settle for the option of least resistance. They will likely ride with Trapilo and hope he handles the increased workload. He should have an easier time with top Buccaneers pass rusher Yaya Diaby likely out with an injury this week. If he struggles, the hope is either that Benedet can return or that they will have done enough research on the market to bring somebody in.

One thing you can always take to the bank these days is that if an athlete is posting cryptic messages on social media, they’re clearly not happy about something. In most cases, it involves contract-related issues between them and the organization they play for. However, some involve a sudden shift in how the team, and by extension its fans, start treating you. It appears that reality might be setting in for Jaylon Johnson. The cornerback who once appeared untouchable just two years ago is now in uncharted waters.

His struggles this season have been well-documented. Through 8 games, he’s allowing a 124.3 passer rating. It is the first time in six seasons that he has eclipsed the 100 mark. It’s been alarming to watch. His usual explosiveness and confidence appear absent. Wide receivers are beating him with way too much ease at times. It’s led many to wonder if he should even be out there. Based on a recent post on Johnson’s Instagram, it sounds like the Chicago Bears could be thinking the same thing.

It’s pretty clear Jaylon Johnson is feeling the heat.

Remember, he said before the season began that his focus was on playing well enough to earn a second contract before age became a factor in future negotiations. He’s still only 27 years old. One has to wonder if maybe he sensed something was off even back then. Johnson suffered a brutal groin and core injury last season. History shows that this type of injury often leads to permanent consequences for an athlete. Most notably, a loss of explosiveness. That has been apparent for months.

As a result, receivers are finding it much easier to create separation on him. The Bears haven’t altered how they use Jaylon Johnson, so he can’t complain about that. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is deploying him as if he were still the Pro Bowler of two years ago. Mounting evidence suggests that player is no longer here. The Bears suddenly face a tough decision. Do they keep trotting him out there knowing he’s a liability and just hope he turns things around? Or do they bench him in hopes of giving somebody else an opportunity?

This would explain the reported shift in the Bears’ trade deadline focus.

For weeks, it was indicated that they were intent on finding defensive line help at both defensive tackle and edge rusher. ESPN has since indicated that cornerback has become their new priority. Considering nobody came out of Monday night in Seattle injured, that feels like a pretty clear indictment of the current starting lineup. Don’t forget the Bears benched Tyrique Stevenson last year. He hasn’t been any better this season. Johnson has been almost as bad. This coaching staff isn’t afraid to bench guys who aren’t performing, regardless of past accomplishments.

Johnson can be upset. He’s battled so hard throughout his run in Chicago to be one of the best. He just forgets that the NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league. Fans don’t offer much leeway for poor performance, especially when you’re one of the highest-paid players on the roster. They love you for your effort, but they have no qualms about moving you aside if you stop performing. That is the brutal nature of this business.

The Chicago Bears accomplished their primary objective last week by beefing up their defensive line ahead of the trade deadline. They made a move few saw coming, flipping two 1st round picks to Tennessee for star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. His impact was immediate as Chicago steamrolled the defending champion Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. Nobody would blame Bears general manager Ryan Poles for sitting back and being happy with his work. However, some believe he may have one more move in mind.

For weeks, most assumed that the move was to pry veteran edge rusher Khalil Mack from the Los Angeles Chargers. It made sense. They needed help on the edges, and the 35-year-old is likely hoping to join a team that can compete for a Super Bowl before his career winds down. Unfortunately, his lifeline may no longer be Chicago. According to Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN, it’s looking like the Bears have shifted their priorities ahead of the deadline to a more pressing concern.

“The Bears have been linked to edge rushers such as Khalil Mack, but a few league evaluators told me what you heard — that cornerback is becoming more of a need. Tyrique Stevenson Sr. and Jaylon Johnson have had their up-and-down moments this season. And while Malik Muhammad II is flashing, he’s a rookie. Washington’s Mike Sainristil is a name that has circulated this week, though I don’t get the sense the Commanders plan to trade him. An available corner such as the Eagles’ Riq Woolen for a Day 3 pick could make sense.”

The Chicago Bears understand reality.

When one unit goes from a weakness to a strength, it doesn’t make sense to keep piling resources onto that strength. If possible, you would like to address what you now believe is your primary weakness. For the Bears, that position is cornerback. It seems crazy to think about. Not too long ago, many felt it was the team’s biggest strength. That is how fast the NFL can flip on you. Jaylon Johnson is having the worst season of his career. Tyrique Stevenson has been even worse. Kyler Gordon’s return has helped somewhat, but it’s hard to trust he will be around all season with his injury history.

That leaves rookie Malik Muhammad, who was playing well before a turf toe injury sidelined him. There isn’t much stability at the position. This is a massive issue for the Chicago Bears, knowing they have to go through some of the best passing attacks in the NFL to win the division, never mind the conference. Obviously, the team doesn’t have the resources to take another big swing. Still, there has to be a solid veteran out there somewhere they can land for a relatively cheap price.

Three main options exist at this stage.

Probably the biggest name being batted around the rumor mill is Tariq Woolen. The former 2nd round pick had a productive run with the Seattle Seahawks that culminated in a Super Bowl championship last season. However, his new team, the Philadelphia Eagles, have been really struggling this year. Combine that with his own struggles, and it’s possible both sides feel a trade is in everybody’s best interests. Woolen is 6’4″ and a freak athlete, tailor-made for secondary coach Al Harris.

However, the price tag might be a bit steep for him. The Bears could also look into another former 2nd round pick, Mike Sainristil, in Washington. He’s apparently fallen out of favor with the Commanders after his stellar rookie season. He’s only 26. Maybe he can be salvaged. Then you also have Donte Jackson, a longtime veteran who was still playing well prior to a recent hamstring injury. Chicago has options. Which one, if any, do they feel would be an upgrade over what they have? There are 6 days left to find out.

Even before the season began, plenty of people who’d been skeptical of Caleb Williams began to admit he was starting to look like a legitimate franchise quarterback. However, some holdouts remained. Chief among them was former quarterback Dan Orlovsky. The longtime ESPN analyst made it known on several occasions that he wasn’t convinced Williams had arrived at all. There were still too many lingering questions about his game, from the well-documented completion percentage issues to his overall command at the line of scrimmage.

It appears Monday night in Seattle finally broke Orlovsky. He couldn’t deny the reality staring at him in the face any longer. Williams has evolved. The player you saw in college is gone. Even the player you saw last season is gone. The Chicago Bears quarterback has transformed into something this league rarely sees: a true field general. Orlovsky admitted that while watching Williams operate against the elite Seattle Seahawks defense, he saw the same characteristics as those of Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning.

Caleb Williams is in total control.

This is not your typical setup of a quarterback just doing what his head coach says all the time. He is in full control. Yes, Ben Johnson runs the offense and calls the plays, but once the huddle breaks, Williams makes the decisions. That includes changing the play if necessary. The mastery he has of this system is truly staggering. Most of the time, it takes a quarterback around three years to truly digest an offense and run it like a pro. Williams is already there, and the numbers prove it.

Through 5 games this year, Caleb Williams has thrown for 1,269 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 1 interception while completing 70.6% of his passes. If those numbers hold for the rest of the season, he will finish with 17 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. That is an astounding level of efficiency most quarterbacks couldn’t dream of. It’s also a testament to the quarterback’s unselfishness. Those numbers could frankly be higher if he wanted. There have been several instances where he had the chance to add a couple of extra touchdown passes to his tally. Instead, he opted to hand the ball off to D’Andre Swift, who has 10 touchdowns this season.

It is further proof that the numbers don’t matter to him as much as winning does. Brady would certainly be proud.

People can’t even argue the schedule.

His past two opponents, Seattle and New England, rank #1 and #8 in the NFL in total defense. Williams had a combined 108.7 passer rating against them. Those units don’t play bad games. The Bears’ quarterback just made what they did irrelevant. His mixture of talent and newfound command of the offense has reached a point where calling good defense alone isn’t enough. He’ll still find openings and isn’t reckless enough to give the ball back to you. It is what made guys like Brady, Brees, and Manning so maddening to play.

The only way to beat them was to be perfect, or pray they had a rare off day. Williams has reached that tier. Whether he stays there remains to be seen. If he does, Orlovsky and others can recognize the reality. Chicago just became infinitely tougher to beat. Not just this season but maybe for the next decade and beyond. This is uncharted territory, not only for Bears fans but also for those who’ve grown used to seeing this franchise stumble at the quarterback position.

Not too long ago, you couldn’t pay somebody to trade places with Chicago Bears fans. It was pure misery. The team had embarked on its two longest losing streaks in franchise history under former head coach Matt Eberflus. They watched one former 1st round quarterback fail, get traded, and then his replacement 1st round quarterback get sacked 68 times in his rookie season. Eberflus was fired midseason, thrusting the franchise into one of its most uncertain periods ever. Unsurprisingly, people expected the worst.

Fast-forward almost two years, and those same people might be willing to offer their firstborn children for a chance to swap places with Bears fans. That is how different things have become. Head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams have fostered a turnaround rarely seen in the NFL. They went from one of the league’s worst teams to suddenly being in every Super Bowl conversation after throttling the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night.

It’s gotten to a point where fans of opposing teams are openly admitting outright jealousy of Chicago. You have Lions fans in Detroit saying it, as 97.1 The Ticket stated.

If that weren’t enough, the same sentiment surfaced on 92.9 The Game in Atlanta, where Falcons fans can’t help but feel the same.

Chicago Bears fans should appreciate what is happening.

They endured so much to reach this moment. All those losing seasons intermixed with incredible heartbreak. From 2013 through 2024, they had one winning season. That season ended with the Double Doink. It reached such a period of darkness that Bears fans began to believe things would never get better. The organization would never find a quarterback. It’d never find the right head coach. They were doomed to live in football hell for all eternity. Then general manager Ryan Poles started a revolution with one bold decision.

He flipped the #1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers for a wealth of draft picks and wide receiver D.J. Moore. Three of those picks became Caleb Williams, Darnell Wright, and Luther Burden. He then made the momentous decision to hire Ben Johnson as the new head coach last year. Not only did the man live up to the hype as one of the best offensive play callers in football, but he also proved to be an outstanding leader. Poles had accomplished the equivalent of going down 0-2 in the count with 2 outs in the 9th inning and hitting the game-winning home run. His work between March of 2023 and April of 2026 has been some of the best in franchise history.

It’s okay to enjoy the moment.

The football gods have already punished Chicago Bears fans plenty. Fearing the next one isn’t the right way to live. We’ve all earned this. A great team is taking shape before our eyes. Rather than worry about the future, the best thing to do is enjoy the journey. Opposing fans certainly sound like they wish they could do that right about now. This team can compete for a Super Bowl. You could argue it is a more complete group than the 2006 team that went to the big game. That one didn’t have the quarterback, weapons, or, frankly, the head coach that this one does.

If things click in the playoffs as they have for the Bears in recent weeks, they can beat anybody in the league. It looks like they know it too. This is a hungry football team, and they aren’t afraid. They’re embracing the pressure. They want to be great. All of that starts with Williams and Johnson. If you’re not aiming high, why are you even in the sport? Bears fans should treasure this.

The Chicago Bears defense went into Monday night with a clear identity. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen liked to create chaos through his exotic blitz packages, looking to cause confusion and disorder. It worked pretty well, all things considered. Kyler Gordon had 4 sacks in his first two games back. Devin Bush was adding pressure, and the defensive line was getting home at the right times. Still, most people agreed that living that way likely wouldn’t hold up in the playoffs.

Everything changed when the Bears dropped the bombshell that they were trading for star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Allen had never coached a player of this caliber before. People were curious how the coordinator would approach things. We got the answer in Seattle. The numbers coming out of that game aren’t just shocking; they’re downright terrifying. According to ESPN’s Mina Kimes, the Bears were blitzing opponents 40% of the time heading into that game, resulting in a pressure rate of 35%.

On Monday night, with Simmons in the lineup, the blitz rate dropped to 15%, while the pressure rate rose to 36%.

Dennis Allen finally has an ace that most coaches only dream of.

The most proven form of defense in the NFL going back many decades is rushing four defensive linemen and dropping seven men in coverage. When those four can generate a pass rush consistently on their own, it drastically improves the odds of getting stops and forcing turnovers. Last year was a perfect example. The Houston Texans had the #1 defense in the league. A big reason for that was the ability of their front four, led by Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter, to get constant heat on the quarterback. They had the 5th-lowest blitz percentage in the league. A year prior, the Philadelphia Eagles were #1 overall. Their blitz percentage was also the 5th-lowest because they could get consistent pressure with just four guys.

That is the realm Dennis Allen is now entering with his Bears defense. It always felt like the team had solid edge rushers with Montez Sweat and Austin Booker. The problem was always the inability to get any kind of consistent push up the middle. Simmons changes all of that. He’s the best interior pass rusher in football, one of the few who demands a constant double team. That means more one-on-one blocks on the edges. Sweat and Booker are more than good enough to win their share of those.

You saw the mayhem it created against a pretty good Seahawks offensive line.

All the Bears need now is a reliable secondary.

The last time the team was this close to such an advantage was in 2018 with that front of Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, and Leonard Floyd. Everybody remembers how dominant that defense was. It was the same in 2005 when the Bears had peak Tommie Harris, Alex Brown, and Adewale Ogunleye. The key difference between those teams and this one might be the secondary. The Bears don’t have Charles Tillman or Kyle Fuller. Jaylon Johnson has regressed badly this season. Tyrique Stevenson continues to struggle as well.

They badly need some stability on the back end if they’re going to take full advantage of what they have up front. Maybe another trade is coming. They don’t need a star. Just somebody who can provide reliable coverage, giving the front that extra split second to get home. It might be asking a lot, but what Allen has now is something most would kill for.