The Bears will wear a helmet decal Sunday to honor Mike Ditka, who died Friday at age 86.
The decal will appear on the rear left corner of the Bears helmet. The navy decal, surrounded in orange, has a white No. 89 inside of it. Ditka wore the number as the Bears' Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end. His number was the last one the Bears retired before stopping the practice because they were running out of numbers to give active players.
The decal tribute is similar to what the Bears did Steve McMichael when he died last year.
For 89 ? pic.twitter.com/0pynPgHoBb
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 11, 2026
The Bears had a patch for Dick Butkus when he died. The Bears plan to have further tributes for Ditka the next time they play at home — Oct. 22 against the Patriots.
Ditka died Friday, prompting tributes from around the NFL, pop culture and the Bears. Coach Ben Johnson called Ditka the "gold standard" inside Halas Hall.
