The Chicago Bears have been active since their season ended, recently completing their sixth head coaching interview. This latest interview, held on Saturday, was with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and was highly anticipated. Johnson’s interview stood out as particularly significant, with the Bears reportedly very interested in him for some time.
According to an anonymous but reliable Bears insider account, SearsTower, the interview went exceptionally well. Reports indicate the Bears were “thoroughly impressed” with Johnson, suggesting he not only met their high expectations but may have even exceeded them. The Bears’ leadership, including GM Ryan Poles, appears to have effectively addressed any concerns Johnson had about the team’s organizational stability.
“The Bears were thoroughly impressed. They had high expectations and it’s safe to say he met them, maybe even surpassed. From the Bears perspective, they think they were able to alleviate some of his concerns about the Bears leadership and organization.”
The Bears were thoroughly impressed. They had high expectations and it's safe to say he met them, maybe even surpassed.
From the Bears perspective, they think they were able to alleviate some of his concerns about the Bears leadership and organization. https://t.co/HMc6P4Enee
— SearSTower (@SearTower) January 11, 2025
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The Bears successfully passed the first test.
The takeaway from this interview is that Johnson’s concerns about the Bears’ leadership may have been alleviated, and the Bears, particularly GM Ryan Poles, were very impressed with him. While it’s no surprise that Johnson, one of the top coaching candidates, made a strong impression, the Bears seem determined not to overcomplicate the decision.
Bears fans need a win. Hope they land him. https://t.co/8So0an6XS2
— Dave (@dave_bfr) January 11, 2025
However, competition for Johnson is stiff, with both the Raiders and Jaguars reportedly very interested. The Bears pursuit of Johnson will pause until after the Lions playoff run concludes, making it an intriguing situation to watch. The Bears need a PR boost, and hiring an offensive mastermind to pair with Caleb Williams would be a game-changer for both the organization and the fanbase.
Wes P I agree. The only question I have with hiring Johnson is what kind of coaching staff can he assemble? I think he’s a great asset for this team period. I think he’ll boost this offense and take them to crazy new heights. I just worry about the coaching staff he’ll surround himself with. Hopefully they don’t keep too many current coaches on staff..
Hopefully this is true, and they’ll make a hard push to land him. It would seem that Las Vegas might have an inside edge, but time will tell. A lot would depend on how badly Ben wants to coach Caleb, that could be one of the deciding factors that pushes it over the line to sign with the Bears.
If the Bears are able to sign Ben Johnson as their new head coach he will be like Kevin O’Connell at Minnesota. Kevin was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angelos Rams when they won the Super Bowl in 2021. If Detroit wins the big game this year Johnson could come to the Bears with a similar background to O’Connell. That would be great and then the focus needs to be on filling out a coaching staff that will define all aspects of the team.
Again: My first preference short and long term is Todd Monken. Ben Johnson is my second because of some skepticism about managing an entire team, and I don’t know how he handles other coaches, or his thoughts about defense, and special teams. Intelligence and analysis. He’s perfect. Human behavior management. I don’t know. Vrabel? I don’t care where he goes. He may be fine for the Patriots, but he’s wrong for Chicago, and Poles, and the vision they had in drafting Williams. Drake Maye is much, much, much closer to Vrabel’s mentality. I wonder if Antonio Pierce or Jarod Mayo… Read more »
If the quarterback position matters to Johnson (and he may feel that the overall team has to be a balanced approach), than the Raiders are out – unless they can sign Sam Darnold. If they can, and do, their receivers position needs to be strengthened. But Johnson developed a balanced Detroit offense around another first round quarterback, who was cast off, and I wouldn’t say the Detroit personnel was exemplary, but he utilized them in ways that works very well. I don’t know if it’s the Detroit market, but I’ve never felt that their personnel was all-world, just highly efficient… Read more »