Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears began the 2025 season on Monday Night Football against the division rival Vikings, officially kicking off the Ben Johnson era. But while fans were hoping to see the No. 1 pick from the 2024 draft reach new heights under a functional coaching regime, many had their attention drawn toward the big "VMH" jersey patch that the Bears were wearing.
It was impossible not to notice the jersey patch, located on the left-front shoulder of Bears players with a bright orange background featuring the "VMH" lettering in bold, navy blue letters. However, that didn't fully explain what the patch was for.
The Bears have good reason to be wearing the patch, though, as it's intended to honor the late owner of the franchise, who passed away in February 2025.
Bears VMH patch on jerseys honors late owner Virginia Halas McCaskey
Virginia Halas McCaskey was the owner of the Chicago Bears for 42 years, taking over the franchise from her father, founder George Halas (whose name is plastered all around the Bears facilities, for good reason), until her death. She passed away at 102 years old on Feb. 6, 2025, and the organization announced in August that they would be wearing a jersey patch throughout the entire season to honor her.
So, in case you haven't pieced that together, the "VMH" patch is the monogram for Virginia Halas McCaskey, with the middle letter featured prominently representing the last name McCaskey in such a format.
There isn't a single Bears fan who would argue with the decision from the Bears to wear the patch. McCaskey was beloved in the city of Chicago and by Bears fans abound. However, the decision to honor her with a jersey patch for the 2025 season comes with a beautiful bit of symmetry, namely that the franchise honored her father in a near-identical way after his passing.
Chicago honored Virginia's father, George, with a similar patch in 1983
When Bears founder and longtime owner George Halas passed in October 1983, the team also wore a patch that looks strikingly similar to the one that they're wearing in the 2025 season to honor his daughter. Take a look at the orange football with the blue letters.
That's a beautiful touch from the organization, to not only make an effort to clearly make sure that McCaskey was remembered throughout the year whenever the Bears take the field, but to do so in a way that's both true to Chicago's history and her family history with the franchise as well.
Who owns the Chicago Bears now?
In the wake of Virginia Halas McCaskey's passing in February, ownership of the Bears stayed with the McCaskey family as here son, George Halas McCaskey, took over as the controlling owner of the team. He had been with the organization for several years prior to that, taking over as chairman for the Chicago Bears in 2011.
The McCaskey family is royalty in Chicago, especially with all they've done for the community, and certainly most of all to Bears fans. It's great to see not only that the team isn't leaving their watch, but that the team is also making a concerted choice to not forget the family matriarch and all she did for the city and organization over four-plus decades.