Bear Digest

George McCaskey Confesses Hilarious Reaction to Bears' Wild Card Win vs Packers

The Bears' owner has described himself as just a football fan, and that's exactly how he acts.
Pete Martuneac|
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"I'm just a fan. I'm not a football evaluator," said Chicago Bears owner George McCaskey in a press conference following the 2021 NFL season. He caught a lot of flak from the fans for this quote, and deservedly so, given the state of the team at the time. Fans and reporters alike knew that McCaskey needed to be more than just a fan if the Bears were to ever find success in the NFL.

Four years have passed since that infamous press conference, and McCaskey is still just a fan, but he finally has an excuse to be 'just a fan'. Hiring Ben Johnson as head coach a year ago proved to be a sea change for this franchise, leading to the 2025 Chicago Bears' awakening on offense, their first NFC North championship since 2018, and a miraculous Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers.

That playoff victory over the Packers was a shot in the arm for the entire fanbase, and the chairman of the Chicago Bears was no different. In an interview with Jarrett Payton, son of the legendary Walter Payton, McCaskey revealed that he 'had a hard time getting work done' in the week after Wild Card weekend, a sentiment that is likely shared by every Bears fan on the planet.

Even without a Super Bowl berth, 2025 was a massive success for Chicago

Despite a heartbreaking Divisional round loss to the Rams a week later, the Bears entered the offseason with their heads held high for the first time in years. Not only did they beat the Packers twice in one year, but they also ended their bitter archrivals' season in the Wild Card round in front of a rocking crowd at Soldier Field. If there was ever a way to exorcise their demons from suffering under Green Bay's dominance over the last 30 years, that had to be it.

Remember, McCaskey takes the Bears-Packers rivalry as seriously as any fan. He's even come up with a new Packers nickname and backs Ben Johnson's rant against that team that went viral on social media. He understands more than most owners that a strong Bears-Packers rivalry is good for the NFL, and what's good for the NFL is good for the Bears. That's why he could laugh along with the fans at all of the reaction videos on social media, and bask in the glory of the kind of postseason success that had eluded this franchise for 15 years.

The chairman can afford to be just a fan as long as the wins keep coming

McCaskey has to be just as relieved as the rest of the fanbase to have proof that Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams can work together and create something special for this city. With the recipe for success now in hand, the chairman can enjoy just being a fan without taking any heat. After all, what fan in his right mind will care if McCaskey is a slightly quirky owner and all-around nice guy if the Bears are beating the Packers and putting themselves in Super Bowl contention?

Here's hoping that in 2026, McCaskey can have just as many fan moments as the rest of the city.

George McCaske
Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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