The Chicago Bears spent years trying to become relevant again, and now they face a different challenge in staying that way.

That is why Ben Johnson’s latest comments about training camp carried more weight than a typical offseason soundbite. “You’ve got to pay a price if you want to have success in this league,” Johnson said. “I don’t think there’s any way you can cut corners and expect to win on Sundays. Our type of guys, they embrace it, they want it. So, I’m looking forward to it.” On the surface, he was talking about training camp. Underneath, he was talking about expectations, and after what the Bears did in 2025, those have never been higher.

Last season changed everything in Chicago. The Bears finished 11-6, captured the NFC North and won a playoff game before falling to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round. For the first time in years, the franchise looked like a legitimate contender. Caleb Williams took a major step forward, the offense became one of the most exciting units in football, and the locker room bought into Johnson’s vision almost immediately.

Success brings its own challenges, though. Nobody is overlooking Chicago anymore, and the comfortable position of the surprise team is gone.

Part of why Johnson’s comments resonate is where he came from. Before arriving in Chicago, he helped transform the Detroit Lions from one of the NFL’s worst franchises into a perennial contender, so he understands both how hard it is to build a winner and how hard it is to stay one. Teams often spend years climbing the mountain only to get comfortable once they reach the top, and Johnson’s message suggests he has no intention of letting that happen.

The Bears won the division and won a playoff game, and they still fell short of the ultimate goal. As Johnson has repeatedly emphasized this offseason, 31 teams come up short of a championship every year, and Chicago was one of them.

Training camp is where expectations meet reality. Every team believes it can be better and every player believes he is ready for a bigger role, and the hard part comes when the pads go on. That is where Johnson’s quote lands. He is making clear that last year’s success guarantees nothing, that roster spots still have to be earned, starting jobs still have to be won and execution still has to improve. The Bears are walking into a season with one of the toughest schedules in football, and Johnson appears determined to make sure his players understand exactly what that demands.

No player embodies those expectations more than Williams. After throwing for 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns during a breakout 2025, the quarterback enters Year 3 with MVP-level expectations around him. Johnson has already challenged Williams publicly this offseason, less out of frustration with the progress and more out of a belief that there is another level to reach. The Bears coach has stressed improved consistency, ball placement and efficiency, which fits the broader message he is sending the entire roster. Good is no longer good enough, for Williams or anyone else.

What makes Johnson’s comments compelling is how they reveal the way the Bears see themselves entering 2026. This is a team that believes it can compete with the NFL’s best rather than one hoping to sneak into the playoffs, and the standard has shifted accordingly. With that comes greater pressure, scrutiny and expectation, and Johnson seems to welcome all of it as a necessary part of the climb. Teams chasing championships cannot take shortcuts, lean on last season’s results or assume the wins will keep coming.

The Bears earned respect in 2025, and keeping it means earning it all over again. That is what Johnson was really getting at when he talked about paying a price for success. The price is the standard, not the practice schedule. Chicago has already proven it can win, and now it has to prove it can handle what comes next, with Johnson making sure nobody in the building forgets that.