The Chicago Bears cut ties with Ian Wheeler in August 2025, certainly much to general manager Ryan Poles chagrin.
Wheeler spent the 2025 season with the New Orleans Saints, signing on with the franchise three months after his time in Chicago came to an end. This spring and, now, summer, Wheeler has helped his new team notch an important victory in what has been a breakout campaign.
Wheeler and the Louisville Kings will take on the DC Defenders in the 2026 United Bowl for the UFL Championship.
Ex-Bears RB Ian Wheeler Playing for Title After Standout Season
Ian Wheeler Showcases Same Burst From Bears Preseason
Wheeler has been on a tear in the annual spring league, showcasing the speed that he once displayed during the preseason with the Bears en route to the fourth-most rushing yards and second-most rushing touchdowns in the 2026 UFL regular season.
On Sunday, Wheeler carried the ball seven times for 89 yards and 1 touchdown, and caught one pass for 3 yards, in the Kings’ 29-20 comeback victory over the St. Louis Battlehawks.
“IAN WHEELER,” the Kings’ posted on X on June 7. “THATS IT. THAT’S THE TWEET.”
“He should be on an NFL team this fall,” former NFL QB-turned-media personality Kurt Benkert said in a post on X following Wheeler’s 51-yard scoring run that put the Kings up over the Battlehawks for good in the playoff tilt. “He’s been balling all year.”
Wheeler, 24, rushed for 370 yards and 6 TDs on 68 carries and a 6-36-0 line as a receiver out of the backfield during the regular season for the Kings.
The win over the Battlehawks was, obviously, Wheeler’s postseason debut. The former undrafted free agent out of Howard and the Kings must take down the defending champion Defenders in the United Bowl. Like many of his fellow UFL brethren, Wheeler could be on NFL radars after the Kings’ run.
This is also the inaugural season for the Kings, putting Wheeler on the cusp of UFL history as his NFL dreams unfold.
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