Despite weeks of speculation, the Chicago Bears did not make any moves on the day of the trade deadline, not even a highly anticipated trade for Khalil Mack. But they can be forgiven their inaction, considering the fact that they already swung big with their blockbuster trade for Jeffery Simmons two weeks ago. For his part, Simmons has already provided a strong return-on-investment with two sacks in as many games while being double-teamed on almost every snap.

The Bears still have roster concerns that went unaddressed at the deadline, and they'll face some real challenges in the second half of 2026, but Bears fans have every reason to be optimistic about the rest of the season. With that in mind, here are three bold predictions for the Bears after the trade deadline.

1. Jeffery Simmons wins Defensive Player of the Year

Simmons was already considered a strong Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) candidate when he was still languishing on the one-win Tennessee Titans. Since his trade to Chicago, his arrow has pointed nearly straight up. As aforementioned, he already has two sacks in two games, and he came close on several other opportunities. And after the Bears' Week 9 win, Simmons officially put the NFL on notice.

If the Bears continue to win and Simmons' bright orange sleeves continue to be seen around opposing quarterbacks, I can't imagine any other defender claiming the top prize over Simmons. He was already considered an elite defender, and now he's finally getting to prove it on a national stage, playing back-to-back primetime games after going three years without one.

2. The Bears run the NFC North table and repeat as division champs

After the Bears' Week 5 loss to the Green Bay Packers, I wrote that Ben Johnson has a rivalry problem. He's just 2-6 in regular season games against NFC North rivals since becoming head coach of the Bears, and two of the losses were absolute blowouts.

However, I think there's reason to believe that this won't be a problem for much longer. In fairness to Johnson, his Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings was mostly due to heavy rain during the game and Caleb Williams tearing his hamstring. Against the Packers, he didn't have Williams at all. If he'd never been injured, it's reasonable to say that the Bears would be undefeated right now.

With that in mind, and with Williams now healthy and backed up by a superstar defensive tackle, I'm predicting that the Bears will win their final four rivalry games this year, which will be more than enough to boost them to their second straight division title.

3. Bears win Super Bowl LXI

I did say bold predictions, didn't I? Then let's get bold. The Bears are going to win Super Bowl LXI. It's practically written in the stars. Everything has been aligning for this moment, to seize a Super Bowl championship exactly 20 years after their heartbreaking loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI. Even the Roman numerals are the same!

And I'm not alone in this, either. Sports Illustrated published a midseason report on surprises, storylines, and Super Bowl predictions, and five out of their eight analysts picked the Bears to make the Super Bowl, with two, Mitch Goldich and John Pluym, picking them to win.