Four of the Bears‘ five captains will be doing it for the second-straight year.
A player vote selected five permanent captains for the 2026 season: quarterback Caleb Williams, guard Joe Thuney, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, linebacker T.J. Edwards and kicker Cairo Santos. Bears coach Ben Johnson named the captains before Tuesday’s padded practice at Halas Hall. The Bears will open their season on Sunday at the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
“Huge recognition for those guys voted by their peers — and a lot of responsibility comes with that,” Johnson said. “Obviously, they represent the locker room to the coaches but also to the fan base as well. They’re everything we want to be about and they go about their business the right way. So, really proud of those guys.”
Williams, Thuney, Jarrett and Santos were four of the Bears’ five permanent captains last year, alongside safety Kevin Byard, who left in March to join the Patriots via free agency. The Bears had a whopping eight captains under coach Matt Eberflus in 2024, including Williams, who was then a rookie No. 1 overall pick, and Edwards.
On the Bears’ roster, Santos, Jarrett and Thuney trail only third-string quarterback Case Keenum in terms of experience.