Teven Jenkins' future, buzz from Green Bay win: What we learned from the Chicago Bears on Monday

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The Chicago Bears' 2024 season is over. They returned to Halas Hall on Monday to clean out their lockers and head into the offseason.

We still had a chance to hear from a few key veterans.

Here's what we learned from locker room cleanout day about 24 hours after the 2024 season ended at Halas Hall.

There's a good chance Teven Jenkins leaves the Bears

Of all the players on the Bears' roster, there were three who could say they'd gone through the ringer.

Cole Kmet, Jaylon Johnson and Teven Jenkins are all ex-Bears general manager Ryan Pace's draft picks. They've been through a GM change and two coach firings.

Jenkins didn't play in the final two games of the regular season, and will be an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins. He said it's a "toss up" on what he wants in free agency.

One of the goals Jenkins had was to put himself in a position to earn a second contract with Chicago and leave no doubt that he deserved that contract. That was one of the things that didn't go right for him this season.

"I didn’t do enough of my part to where now there’s still questions," Jenkins said. "Failed in that part."

If Jenkins departs, the Bears will have to construct the entire interior of the offensive line. Jenkins is a free agent, Coleman Shelton was on a one-year deal and the Bears have already released Nate Davis. It's fair to assume they'll devote free agency resources and draft capital to build the interior this offseason.

It would have been easier had Jenkins, a 2021 second-round pick, shown enough to deserve a second contract. But, he also said it was "50/50" when asked about a desire to stay in Chicago or pursue a fresh start elsewhere.

The players want to carry the momentum from winning at Lambeau as long as they can

Bears defensive end DeMarcus Walker had an opening statement before he took questions on Monday,

"We beat Green Bay," he said.

The Bears' 24-22 win over the Packers might have been meaningless to some, but the city of Chicago reveled in it. It snapped a 10-game losing streak, and an 11-game losing streak to the Packers.

Bears offensive lineman Matt Pryor thought it was just 10-straight losses to the Pack.

"Eleven?" Pryor said. "Jeez, okay."

But, that's behind them, as is the 10-game losing streak. The players aren't content with a 5-12 record by any means, but they don't have to sit on an 11-game losing streak for eight months as they prepare for 2025.

"I think it's a changing point," Pryor said. "It sparks something in the organization and the team where anything can happen. I think it's a positive."

Pryor might not be a Bear. His one-year contract expires when the 2024 league year ends. But, the players that will be in Chicago in 2025 are glad to have the losing off their shoulders and to have the chance to resonate with a win.

"They know they shouldn't have beat us the first time," Walker said. "To get them back this time was bittersweet."

Walker will be back. He's a piece of the defensive line that can play in multiple positions, plus he's a veteran. He should be back alongside Gervon Dexter Sr., Andrew Billings, Montez Sweat.

For some, the win over Green Bay is a chance to leave this season on a positive note as a new head coach comes in. For others, it's a good way to leave the 2024 season.

"You got to move on to the new," Walker said. "It's not the end, it's the beginning."

There might be a few regrets the Chicago Bears have about 2024

One of the coaches the Bears are reportedly interested in interviewing is former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.

Vrabel has a reputation for being stern and for being a leader. He'll cut through some of the issues the Bears had in 2024 right away.

Some of those issues 

"I tell you what, a lot of bulls***'s going to get cut out," Walker said. "A lot of those small things that we've done and got away with won't happen."

The Bears haven't been quiet about the fact they got away with smaller things this season.

Tight end Cole Kmet talked about it the day after losing to Washington on that Hail Mary play, mentioning the team didn't respect the game enough in practice. Walker's words cemented how much the Bears think about the smaller moments where they could have been better.

Players were asked about the moments where things when wrong, specifically asking "what was missing." Not much was missing talent-wise. The Bears had the talent to make it all happen in 20234.

"Those guys understand what they needed to do," Bears nose tackle Andrew Billings said. "They just came short."

Some of it might've been the Hail Mary loss to Washington. When asked about that, Walker offered up a laugh when saying "it took a few people's souls.."

"That was so long ago," Walker said when asked why he laughed.

However, the players might have a few regrets when looking back at the 2024 season. Especially considering what could have been. There were so many close games that became heartbreaking losses.

Some of the mentality around the team was that those losses could've have been wins had the Bears cut out some of the little issues much earlier in the season.

"It's all the little things," Billings said. "I should've started that earlier, just as everybody else."

Speaking of Billings…

The Bears' nose tackle was a key piece of the run defense that was visibly missing when he hurt his pectoral against Arizona and missed the rest of the season.

Billings confirmed Monday he's on track to be ready for OTAs at the start of next season.

That's good news for an integral piece of the Bears' defense.