I’ll take the Lombardi trophy right now if you got one. Just go ahead and etch Chicago Bears 2026 World Champions at the top and let’s call it a day. Never in my life have I been so sure of anything and that’s because Jim McMahon is the final puzzle piece. Hear me out.
Everyone knows Caleb Williams can sling it. Everyone knows he’s a world class talent. He’s got every throw in the bag and Cad Bane’s quick trigger. Blah blah blah. There’s nothing good to say that you don’t already know for yourself.
What’s missing though is being a bad ass.
Caleb’s kind of a pussy if we’re being honest and I’m not talking about painting his nails even though that’s exactly what I mean. He’s just kinda weird and disconnected from the common man, and I doubt his ability to unite the city the way it needs. That’s how I feel. I’m just not sure.
Now insert McMahon. That’s basically the #1 thing he did as the Bears quarterback: be a bad ass.
Sure he was plenty good. Obviously they won a championship and nobody’s discounting his 36-5 record as a starter from 1984-1988. Say all the good stuff you want, but understand that nothing comes close to the tough confidence. There’s nothing he did better than that.
Compared to Caleb Williams, there is no comparison. McMahon has all the intangibles Caleb is lacking and I really think a daty on set together playing grabass is a huge step in the right direction.
You may think this is small potatoes but it’s not.
The Bears are not going to foster this themselves. They won’t create a mentor program or bring the older/successful/historic players around the team other than for a PR tweet. They’re historically garbage with player relations which is why so few former Bears players are around the team in any capacity other than a 3rd quarter on-field shoutout at home.
So leave it to Topps to connect the two signal callers. Give it a day in makeup under the spotlight taking orders from a director, and now you have a real friendship… McMahon obviously wants to be there for Caleb, and Caleb obviously craves that kind of bond and camaraderie.
Cute commercial and appearance fees aside, this is going to payoff so fucking big for the Chicago Bears in the long-run. Really because I think tapping into McMahon as a source of knowledge and confidence and brotherhood is the only thing missing from Caleb’s game. There’s so little coaching to be done with him other than what’s going on between his ears. And I really think McMahon is the perfect guy to be a casual mentor.
Am I potentially reading too much into the 90 second commercial for sports trading cards?
Yeah I suppose so. Maybe that just happened here a little bit.
But I’m also a sucker for hope – and I’ll find it wherever you lead me.
Right now that’s a Chicago Bears Super Bowl in 2026 because Caleb and McMahon filmed a commercial together. That’s just the way it goes around here some times.
PS – McMahon highlights
PPS – I really like ending blogs with highlights just an FYI