CHICAGO — With the Chicago Bears gearing up for the season opener after setting their initial 53-man roster this week, there’s optimism at Halas Hall that — despite coming off a five-win season in a rugged division — they will field their best team in several years under first-year coach Ben Johnson.

As the 2025 season draws near, it’s a good time to look back at the last 25 years and compile an All-Quarter-Century Team.

The Bears began the 21st century playing very good defense nearly every season, winning the division four times in a 10-year span from 2001-10 and appearing in Super Bowl XLI. Since then, they have had only one division crown and six last-place finishes, including 2024. So it stands to reason this team is composed of many players from early in the century.

Only performance in the 2000s was considered for players who began their careers earlier. In the evaluation, which included discussions with former coaches and players, brief excellence for a season or two was weighed against longevity with the organization. Twenty-eight players were chosen in all — 18 of whom were included in the Chicago Tribune’s 2019 ranking of the 100 best Bears players of all time.

OFFENSE

QB Jay Cutler

Acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Denver Broncos in April 2009, Cutler was supposed to be the missing link to propel the Bears’ pursuit of championships. He helped them reach the NFC championship game after the 2010 season but never made another postseason appearance.

Cutler was 51-5 in 102 regular-season starts across eight seasons. That gave him enough time to become the franchise leader in passing yards (23,433), touchdowns (154) and completions (2,020).

RB Matt Forte

A dual-threat running back, Forte was a model of consistency and durability in eight seasons. At times between 2008 and 2015, he was the offense and was remarkably productive. His 8,602 rushing yards trail only Walter Payton, and Forte caught 487 passes for another 4,116 yards.

Forte was the first player in league history to have at least 900 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards in each of his first four seasons. He had 24 100-yard games, also second to Payton in team history, and was a workhorse running back by every measure.

RB Thomas Jones

Jones had a star-crossed beginning to his career in Arizona and Tampa, but the former first-round pick was at his peak when he joined the Bears in 2004. He churned out 3,493 yards in three seasons and was the focal point of the offense on the 2005 division winners, when he carried for 1,335 yards and nine touchdowns. He followed it with 1,210 yards in the Super Bowl season before being traded to the New York Jets.

Jones just edges David Montgomery, who had 3,609 rushing yards for the Bears but over a four-season span.

WR Alshon Jeffery

A second-round pick in 2012, Jeffery was a dominant receiver who played the ball in the air better than anyone the team has had. Jeffery had 1,421 yards and seven touchdowns in his second season and followed with 1,133 yards and 10 scores the next year.

His 4,549 receiving yards rank third in team history, and he averaged 15 yards per reception in five seasons, with injuries marring his final year in 2016 before he went to the Philadelphia Eagles.

WR Brandon Marshall

Marshall could have rewritten the team records for receivers if he had spent more than three seasons with the Bears in his 13-year career. As it is, his 3,524 yards are 13th on the team’s all-time list, and his 31 receiving touchdowns are tied for fifth. Marshall had a career-high 1,508 yards in 2012 with 118 receptions.

Marshall was selected just ahead of Marty Booker because his best seasons were superior.

TE Cole Kmet

Entering his sixth season, Kmet hasn’t missed a game during his career and has been a productive cog in the passing game while also a solid blocker in the running game. His 2,592 receiving yards are second to Desmond Clark at the position in the last 25 years, and Clark was with the team for eight seasons. Kmet has 19 touchdown receptions, one more than Clark and five more than Martellus Bennett, who spent three seasons with the Bears.

Kmet edged out Bennett with consideration also given to Clark and Greg Olsen, whose production spiked as soon as he went to the Carolina Panthers in an ill-fated trade.

LT Charles Leno Jr.

A seventh-round pick in 2014, Leno got a look at right tackle in the 2015 preseason, but a back injury to Jermon Bushrod created an opening on the left side. Leno got the job and held it down for a long time. He started 94 games in seven seasons for the Bears, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2018. Once he was in the lineup, he never missed a game because of injury.

Leno was chosen over John Tait, who played at a high level on the Super Bowl XLI team, and Bushrod.

LG Cody Whitehair

A second-round pick in 2016, Whitehair started 118 games over eight seasons with the Bears, beginning at center, shifting to left guard and also playing right guard. He was probably at his best at left guard but played center out of necessity and never complained about being moved around the line. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2018.

C Olin Kreutz

An anchor of the line and locker room throughout his 13-year Bears career, Kreutz made 183 starts and was selected to six consecutive Pro Bowls. A testament to the respect Kreutz had at Halas Hall is the fact he was a four-time recipient of the Brian Piccolo Award, which is voted on by players.

RG Roberto Garza

A free-agent acquisition in 2005, Garza proved to be a bargain addition and became a glue player not only on the line, but also in the locker room. He started 145 games in 10 seasons for the Bears, playing left guard, right guard and then taking over at center after Kreutz departed. Garza started all 16 games in seven seasons with the Bears.

RT Kyle Long

A first-round pick in 2013, Long was an outstanding player from the outset, getting to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons. Although he played right tackle only in his third year, 2015, he was an easy selection for this team when looking for the best five linemen. Serious injuries truncated his career as he made only 29 starts after those first three seasons.

DEFENSE

DE Julius Peppers

The Bears swung for the fences at the outset of free agency in 2010 when they signed Peppers to a six-year, $95 million contract, and he instantly transformed the defensive front. A defense that had stagnated since the Super Bowl XLI appearance was fourth in scoring, ninth in total defense, second in rushing and third in takeaways as the Bears won the division and fell a game short of returning to the Super Bowl.

The Hall of Famer was voted to the Pro Bowl in the first three of his four seasons with the Bears and had 37 1/2 sacks with 10 forced fumbles and three interceptions while not missing a game. Peppers was the rare jewel teams occasionally can land in free agency.

DT Akiem Hicks

Hicks was an under-the-radar player in the first four seasons of his NFL career, which started in New Orleans. When he fell out of favor with Saints coach Sean Payton in his fourth season, he was traded to the New England Patriots. Bears general manager Ryan Pace had come from the Saints and had an idea that Hicks would flourish in the right situation.

The Bears signed him in free agency in 2016, and flourish he did, recording 23 sacks in his first three seasons and earning Pro Bowl honors in 2018. Overall, he had 31 sacks in six seasons with the Bears and was a dominant run force as well. When he was right, Hicks could not be single-blocked.

DT Tommie Harris

Chosen in the first round in 2004, Harris was the ideal three-technique tackle for Lovie Smith’s defensive scheme, a penetrating interior lineman with great strength and ability to work angles. Harris was a force early in his career, getting the first of three consecutive Pro Bowl nods in 2005.

A serious hamstring injury derailed his 2006 season, one reason the Bears were short-handed in the Super Bowl, and he also was slowed by knee injuries in his career. When healthy, Harris was the motor of a top-tier defense.

DE Khalil Mack

Mack was in a contract standoff with the Oakland Raiders in the summer of 2018. Just before the season, Pace made an aggressive bid to acquire the pass rusher, trading two first-round picks, a third-rounder and sixth-rounder for Mack, a second-round choice and a conditional fifth-rounder.

Mack was a huge addition to Vic Fangio’s defense with 12 1/2 sacks, an interception return for a touchdown and six forced fumbles in that 2018 season, when he finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. In four seasons with the Bears, Mack had 36 sacks and 14 forced fumbles and earned three Pro Bowl honors.

LB Brian Urlacher

A first-round pick by Mark Hatley in 2000, Urlacher was the Defensive Rookie of the Year, the start of a decorated career that saw him become a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection. Urlacher thrived in Greg Blache’s defense and then took his game to another dimension playing under Smith. He was chosen as the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2005.

“Brian Urlacher should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” then-Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers told me before Urlacher was voted on for the Hall. “He is one of my favorites, if not my favorite player … because he is hypercompetitive. He is a tough human and he does it the right way. He plays with a lot of passion, a lot of grit and a lot of class. I always enjoyed our battles.”

At 6-foot-4 and 258 pounds, Urlacher possessed a combination of size, speed and range that no other linebacker has had. He was also the consummate teammate to every player in the locker room, from the guys earning the most money to practice-squad members who had just arrived.

LB Lance Briggs

A third-round pick in 2003, Briggs became the weak-side linebacker in Smith’s Tampa-2 scheme in his second season and was the perfect running mate for Urlacher. He amassed 100 tackles or more eight times in the first 10 seasons of his 12-year Bears career.

Briggs was selected to seven consecutive Pro Bowls. He finished his career with 16 interceptions — five returned for touchdowns — and 16 forced fumbles.

LB Roquan Smith

A first-round pick in 2018, Smith played with tremendous range and instincts and quickly made an impact on the division-winning team as a rookie with 121 tackles. A second-team All-Pro in 2020 and 2021, Smith was traded midway through his fifth season in 2022 after the Bears failed to reach an agreement on a new contract with him.

They got second- and fifth-round picks from the Baltimore Ravens in the trade, and Smith’s new team quickly got a deal done to his liking, signing him to a five-year, $100 million contract. In 69 games with the Bears, he had 607 tackles, 47 tackles for a loss and seven interceptions.

CB Charles Tillman

The Bears selected Tillman in the second round in 2003 and believed he would be a really good safety if he didn’t make it at cornerback. They never had to find out. He took on matchups with Randy Moss as a rookie and became a mainstay in the secondary for 12 seasons.

His signature became the “Peanut Punch” — Tillman would dislodge the ball from an unsuspecting ball carrier. He had 42 forced fumbles with the Bears and after one season in Carolina retired with 44. At the time, that was sixth in NFL history since it became an official statistic in 1991. The top five spots were held by defensive linemen.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Tillman had 36 career interceptions for the Bears, returning eight to the end zone.

CB Jaylon Johnson

Johnson slipped into the second round in 2020 because of concerns about shoulder injuries. The Bears grabbed him and he emerged as one of the better cover men in the league in 2023, when he had four interceptions and was selected to the first of two Pro Bowls. A real testament to his ability was on display last season, when opponents regularly threw to the other side of the field.

CB Kyle Fuller

After missing the 2016 season with a knee injury, Fuller bounced back under Fangio and truly thrived in 2018 with seven interceptions. He had 43 pass breakups in 2017 and 2018 combined.

Fuller was selected to two Pro Bowls and finished with 19 interceptions in 96 games across six seasons. He was chosen over Tim Jennings and Nathan Vasher, both of whom received strong consideration.

S Eddie Jackson

In seven seasons with the Bears, Jackson was chosen to two Pro Bowls and corralled 15 interceptions — six in 2018 (including two returned for touchdowns), when he was a first-team All-Pro. A fourth-round pick in 2017, Jackson was slowed by injuries in 2022 and 2023.

S Mike Brown

A second-round pick in 2000 — the same draft class that produced Urlacher — Brown was an emotional leader for the defense and locker room in nine seasons with the Bears. He had a penchant for big plays, especially during the magical 2001 NFC Central title season. Brown had five interceptions and returned two for touchdowns in consecutive overtime victories over the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers.

Brown missed only one game in his first four seasons before a string of major injuries took a toll on his career. He also was sidelined for the Super Bowl XLI loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

SPECIAL TEAMS

K Robbie Gould

The franchise’s all-time leading scorer, Gould made 12 game-winning kicks in the final minutes or overtime in 11 seasons with the Bears. The team selected him in a tryout during the 2005 season, and by his second year he was a model of consistency. He mastered the art of kicking at Soldier Field, and while the team hesitated to have him attempt long field goals early in his career, he made 11 consecutive kicks from 50 yards or more between 2012 and 2013.

The Bears released Gould just before the 2016 season, a mistake you’re reminded of every time you hear the words “double doink.” He made 85.4% of his field goals with the Bears and enjoyed even more success in his next seven seasons — one with the New York Giants and six with the 49ers.

LS Pat Mannelly

Across 16 seasons, no one played in more games — 245 — for the Bears than Mannelly, a sixth-round pick out of Duke in 1998. He had 2,282 career snaps without a miscue and was a big part of the coverage team on punts, especially early in his career, with 46 tackles, including nine in 2001. He’s considered one of the best to ever do it, and it’s an injustice he wasn’t named to multiple Pro Bowl teams.

P Pat O’Donnell

O’Donnell punted for the Bears for eight seasons with his best year coming in 2019, when he had a net average of 40.7 yards. Five times his net average was 39.5 yards or higher. He just edged Brad Maynard.

KR/PR Devin Hester

The Bears have had a slew of super-talented returners, but Hester is the greatest ever to do it, a fact underscored by his selection to the Hall of Fame in 2024. He returned a punt for a touchdown in his first career game in 2006 at Lambeau Field and scored on the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI.

Hester set a single-season NFL record with six return touchdowns in 2006 and added six more in 2007 as the Bears had a dynamic weapon that teams struggled to account for. He changed teams’ strategy on kicks and the way they made roster decisions, seeking players who could stand out covering kickoffs and punts.

There’s no greater testament to a player’s career than to say he changed the game in multiple ways. Hester returned 13 punts and five kickoffs for touchdowns in eight years with the Bears and took back a missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown against the Giants in 2006.

ST Brendon Ayanbadejo

The Bears acquired Ayanbadejo from the Miami Dolphins in 2005 — not because they envisioned him playing linebacker but because they felt he would be a demon on special teams. He proved them right.

“He was the best,” former special teams coordinator Dave Toub once said. “Brendon was a cut above. He could fly and he had great instincts. He’s the guy other teams would circle and double-team every week and he’d still win.”

Even though he was with the Bears for only three seasons, he was a Pro Bowl honoree twice and was chosen over a handful of other very talented special teams players, including Corey Graham and Cordarrelle Patterson.

How the players were acquired

— Draft picks: 19

— Free-agent signings: 5

— Trades: 4

Number acquired by regime

— Mark Hatley (1997-2000): 4

— Jerry Angelo (2001-11): 11

— Phil Emery (2012-14): 6

— Ryan Pace (2015-21): 7

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