Ben Johnson was less than 48 hours removed from the Detroit Lions’ playoff loss to the Washington Commanders when the news broke.
The Lions offensive coordinator is finalizing a deal to become the 19th head coach in Bears history, sources told the Tribune on Monday, ending a whirlwind two-week stretch in which the Bears interviewed at least 17 coaches either in person or over video conference call.
Johnson, 38, was the hottest coaching candidate in this NFL hiring cycle, and the Bears wasted no time in getting him on board following the Lions’ playoff exit. As the Bears work to make the hiring official and introduce Johnson to a fan base thirsting for good news, here are five questions for Bears President Kevin Warren, general manager Ryan Poles and their new coach.
1. At what point did the Bears decide to hire Johnson?
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson addresses the media at the team’s training facility on Jan. 11, 2024, in Allen Park, Michigan. (Carlos Osorio/AP)
Poles took some heat publicly for expanding his search to interview at least 17 coaches and expressing interest in a few others. But only a few of those went to Halas Hall in person because of NFL hiring rules that limit contact with coaches employed by other teams to three-hour virtual interviews over the first two weeks of the offseason.
Johnson wasn’t available to speak with the Bears in person until Monday — and would have had to wait another week if the Lions had won on Saturday. By 2:33 p.m. Monday, ESPN broke the news that Johnson and the Bears were finalizing a deal, and a couple of hours later, the Tribune’s Brad Biggs reported that Johnson would fly to Chicago on Tuesday to sign the contract.
So Johnson’s Jan. 11 virtual interview, along with the background work they surely did on their NFC North foe, must have paved the way for Warren and Poles to act quickly Monday. What made them so certain after that limited contact?
The Bears became compliant with the Rooney Rule — meant to foster diverse hiring practices in the NFL — when they interviewed Tennessee State coach Eddie George in person on Sunday. They already had interviewed longtime NFL coach Ron Rivera in person. Those two in-person interviews allowed them to hire Johnson.
Former Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy also interviewed in person.
2. Who will be on Johnson’s coaching staff?
New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen instructs during practice in Metairie, La., on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Bears picked Johnson to be the offensive mastermind to lead quarterback Caleb Williams, but they also need him to assemble a strong staff of coordinators and coaches. That’s especially at the front of mind given the issues with former coach Matt Eberflus’ staff picks, which eventually resulted in multiple firings for conduct and performance issues over the last three years.
Multiple reports have indicated that former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen could be Johnson’s pick to be defensive coordinator.
Allen was the Saints head coach from 2022 until he was fired midseason this year. He also coached the then-Oakland Raiders from 2012-14. In between, he was the Saints defensive coordinator under Sean Payton for seven seasons.
While Johnson undoubtedly will call plays, he will need an offensive coordinator to assist him. Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley was already interviewed to be the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator and is an intriguing name.
Saints former interim coach Darren Rizzi has gotten some buzz as a special teams coordinator candidate, though he is also linked to the Denver Broncos, Biggs reported.
3. Why was Chicago right for Johnson?
Johnson was a coveted candidate last offseason before deciding to remain in Detroit, and he had four interviews this year — with the Bears, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Patriots hired Mike Vrabel, but Johnson reportedly still was in play with the Raiders and Jaguars.
In the previous few days, the public rumor mill hyped Johnson’s connection with the Raiders and minority owner Tom Brady.
So when the Bears make it official and introduce Johnson to reporters, it will be interesting to hear why he was certain Chicago was the right fit.
The contract — and the money the Bears are willing to put up — must have been right. But how does he envision his working relationship with Poles? And why was that favorable over going to a team where he could be paired with his own GM of choice?
And, as we will look at next, why does he believe he’s the right coach for quarterback Caleb Williams?
4. What will Johnson’s vision for Caleb Williams look like?
Since Eberflus was fired on Nov. 29, there was a lot of time to explore what Johnson and Williams thought of each other, and both were complimentary.
“There’s no question this guy is talented,” Johnson said when asked about Williams last month. “I remember standing on the sideline last game and you can hear the ball whistle by you. He’s got quite a fastball and has some creativity to him. He can extend plays and is accurate down the field as well … He’s been impressive from afar.”
Williams had his share of bumps in his rookie season — particularly while taking an NFL-leading 68 sacks — so one of the priority topics for Johnson to publicly address in the days ahead will be how he believes he can get the most out of the 2024 No. 1 draft pick.
In his three seasons as Lions offensive coordinator, Johnson helped elevate ninth-year quarterback Jared Goff to new heights. Goff threw for 4,629 yards in 2024 and reached career highs with a 72.4% completion percentage, 37 touchdown passes and a 111.8 passer rating in the regular season.
Goff and Williams are obviously different quarterbacks. So how can Johnson adjust his coaching to have success with Williams?
5. What does Johnson think of the roster he is inheriting?
The Lions team that lost to the Commanders in the divisional round of the playoffs Saturday suffered an unfortunate number of injuries to key players throughout the season. Still, the roster that led the Lions to a 15-2 regular season was filled with dominant players.
Does Johnson believe in the 5-12 Bears group he is taking over in the same way?
Johnson helped the Lions lead the league with 33.2 points per game and also directed the second-best offense with 409.2 yards per game. Now he must revive a Bears offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in those categories with 283.5 yards per game and 18.2 points per game.
One of the most glaring differences between the two teams is their offensive lines. The Lions boasted one of the better O-lines in the NFL this season. The Bears, meanwhile, are in desperate need of an O-line makeover after injuries and performance issues marred their season.
How would Johnson have handled the offensive line issues that arose this season? And does the new Bears coach think Poles can fix the gaps in free agency and the draft?
Johnson will have much to share about his plans in the days ahead.
Originally Published: January 20, 2025 at 6:41 PM CST
