Things started looking promising for the Bears after the Lions loss to a red-hot Washington Commanders team on Saturday. With Detroit’s heart-breaking loss, the NFL coaching carousel can now pick up speed. Both Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn will be available for in-person interviews starting Monday, January 20.

Ben Johnson, come on down to Chicago.

It's time.

— Dave (@dave_bfr) January 19, 2025

However, the “Ben Johnson Sweepstakes” seems to be gaining momentum, but not in a direction favorable to Chicago. Reports indicate that the Raiders are interviewing Lance Newmark, a former Lions executive and current Commanders assistant GM, for their general manager position. Newmark, who spent 26 seasons in Detroit before joining Washington last year, has a strong relationship with both Johnson and Glenn.

Raiders are interviewing former Lions executive and current Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark today for their general manager job, per sources.

Newmark spent 26 seasons in Detroit before joining Washington last year, and is said to have a strong relationship with both Ben… pic.twitter.com/yfwGg7L9w6

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 19, 2025

This development gives Las Vegas an advantage over the Bears and Jaguars in the race for Johnson. According to league sources, this move has been anticipated for the past week. Johnson has expressed a desire for alignment with the front office, and it appears the Raiders are doing everything they can to explore that possibility.

Chicago isn’t slowing down either.

The Bears are moving quickly, with Jay Glazer reporting that they are scheduled to interview Eddie George for their head coaching position on Sunday morning. George, who has been the head coach at Tennessee State for the past four years, was named Coach of the Year in his conference this year and led his team to a co-championship.

It’s not yet confirmed if the interview will be in person, but if it is, the Bears would then fulfill the Rooney Rule requirements. This would allow them to start making offers or officially hire a new head coach. It looks like a busy and potentially eventful week ahead for Chicago.

The other shoe dropped on Saturday night. In a shocking turn of events, the Detroit Lions fell to the Washington Commanders 45-31, ending what had been an amazing 15-2 season, the best in franchise history. Not only did they lose the game in crushing fashion, but now fans face the prospect of both of their star coordinators likely leaving for head coaching jobs. Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn appear to be in high demand. Now, both are free to meet other teams in person on Monday. Expectations are the Chicago Bears will be active in meeting with them.

For fans, Johnson is the name to watch. He’s been linked to the Bears several times over the past couple of months. He likes Caleb Williams and has been eyeing the job since last January. Some wonder if he might prefer the Las Vegas Raiders after a strong pitch from Tom Brady. Either way, people are eager to finally get a resolution. So when can a decision be expected? I went back over the past three years and looked at every coordinator on a playoff team and how long it took them to secure a head coaching job after the season ended.

Dave Canales

• Lost January 21st
• Hired January 25th

Mike MacDonald

• Lost January 28th
• Hired January 31st

Raheem Morris

• Lost January 14th
• Hired January 25th

Jonathan Gannon

• Lost February 12th
• Hired February 14th

DeMeco Ryans

• Lost January 29th
• Hired January 31st

Shane Steichen

• Lost February 12th
• Hired February 14th

Nathaniel Hackett

• Lost January 22nd
• Hired January 27th

Josh McDaniels

• Lost January 15th
• Hired January 31st

Mike McDaniel

• Lost January 30th
• Hired February 6th

Kevin O’Connell

• Won SB February 13th
• Hired February 16th

Brian Daboll

• Lost January 23rd
• Hired January 28th

The data seems pretty clear. While there are certain outliers, it appears most coaches reach their decision around 3-5 days after their playoff run ends. That means the Bears should expect a resolution on Johnson around this coming Wednesday or Thursday. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune indicated as much in his recent column.

One source said the belief was that Johnson likely had his choice of all three jobs and even had the Lions won Saturday, it was likely he would decide sooner rather than later through back channels in order to get to work assembling a coach staff behind the scenes.

Ben Johnson likely knows which way he’s leaning.

He will still take interviews with the teams he’s interested in over the next couple of days. After that, the decision won’t be long in coming. He knows the challenges of assembling a staff, especially with other teams vying for top assistants. No two jobs are more important to fill than defensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Johnson knows that if he can hit on both of those, his chances of instant success will go up considerably. Before anything else, the Bears must take care of some unfinished business.

They still haven’t complied with the Rooney Rule, which requires them to interview two outside minority candidates. Ron Rivera met with them in person, which took care of the first one. Another is needed to get the green light. It is possible their recently announced interview with Tennessee State head coach Eddie George will take care of that. Ben Johnson will be waiting once that happens. It sounds like the Bears are fully committed to making a run at him. Fans will be ecstatic if they close the deal.

Ryan Poles said there would be some surprises in the Chicago Bears head coaching search. Thus far, he did tell the truth but nobody has really stood out as genuine shockers. Adam Stenavich was interesting, but the Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator has a strong track record. Marcus Freeman and Matt Campbell weren’t expected, but both are tremendous college coaches. At last, the first legitimate “WHAT!?” name dropped on Saturday night following Washington’s upset of Detroit in the divisional round.

Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported that Chicago would meet with former Tennessee Titans star running back Eddie George about their head coaching position. The four-time Pro Bowler has run the Tennessee State program over the past four years, leading them to their first FCS playoff berth in 11 years. That earned him Coach of the Year honors.

There are one of two possibilities for the Chicago Bear here.

The first and probably most likely is that George helps them comply with the Rooney Rule. This requires an NFL team to interview two outside minority candidates in person before making the official hire. Chicago already met with Ron Rivera earlier this week. That was the first. If George’s interview is in person, that would be the second, giving the Bears the green light to pursue whoever their primary target is. Most believe it’s Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who is officially available after the divisional loss.

Another possibility is that the Chicago Bears are genuinely interested. George played in the NFL for a long time and has four years of head coaching experience now. He was one of the unquestioned leaders in the locker room during his playing days, so it isn’t crazy to think he might be able to make the jump. Also, don’t forget George spent two weeks with the team in 2023 as an assistant coach for the Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship program. The Bears got to see him work up close.

Marcus Freeman was a surprise name when insiders revealed the Chicago Bears were hoping to speak with him. The head coach has Notre Dame in their first national championship since 2012. He’s widely considered one of the best in college football and isn’t even 40 years old yet. He was drafted by the Bears in 2009 and seems to have the high-energy, disciplinary style the team is looking for. It makes sense they would want to speak with him. However, at least one person doesn’t see it happen. That is Brian Urlacher.

The legendary Bears linebacker has followed the Irish closely since his son Kennedy joined the program. Since then, he’s gained a deep appreciation for the type of coach Freeman is. Staying at Notre Dame is the best for him. Besides, he doesn’t think the Bears are willing to do what it takes to get him. Why? He explained on Waddle & Silvy.

Brian Urlacher knows how the Bears have operated.

One thing they’ve always done as a franchise is underpay their head coaches. Even at the peak of his powers in the late 2000s, Lovie Smith wasn’t close to being among the highest-paid in the NFL. The theory is that this is why they prefer hiring first-time head coaches. They are always cheaper than established guys. Brian Urlacher is familiar with the practice from his long career playing for the team. In his mind, there is no way the Bears are willing to pay Freeman more than the $10 million per year he’s getting from Notre Dame. He could be right. Chicago has never paid that much for a head coach. Maybe Kevin Warren, who is reportedly the one smitten with Freeman, might be able to change that.

Either way, Urlacher’s point stands. The odds of Chicago luring Freeman away from such a cushy job are remote. Still, there was never any harm in exploring the possibility.

Over the past two weeks, Ben Johnson and Mike McCarthy have received most of the headlines regarding the Chicago Bears head coaching position. Both are considered likely finalists for the job. However, history says there are usually between four and six guys who get second interviews with a team before a decision is made. That means there could be as many as four more names who will make it to the second round. One of those is expected to be Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

It shouldn’t be a surprise. He won two national championships with Georgia before taking over in Baltimore where he’s engineered the two best seasons of Lamar Jackson’s already stellar career. Any team should be interested. As it turns out, according to Albert Breer of the MMQB, the Bears have had an eye on him for months.

He wasn’t the only one to mention something. Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron had some interesting comments. From what he’s gathered, Monken is on their short list of serious candidates for the job. Much of this depends on how his interview went.

I have a hunch that Monken is going to do really well in the interview process and that, combined with the idea that I believe of the Bears’ extensive list, Monken is on their short list of legitimate candidates that they are highly interested in.

Todd Monken is unquestionably the sleeper of this group.

He checks several boxes the Bears seem to prioritize. He’s an offensive expert, having found success at both the college and NFL levels. His background is filled with tons of experience, including three years as a head coach at Southern Miss. Lastly, he’s an Illinois native, having been born in Wheaton. So, he knows the area and its fanbase. Quarterbacks tend to excel under his direction, and he has learned from some excellent coaches during a long, productive career. Truth be told, it is hard to understand why he hasn’t gotten the job before now.

No word has come out on how the interview went. Like most others, it was virtual. Chicago won’t be able to speak with Todd Monken again until after January 20th. From there, it will depend on whether Baltimore is eliminated from the playoffs or plays in the Super Bowl. If he made a strong enough impression, Monken might be the one who can swoop in to take the job over the heavily favored Johnson and McCarthy. We know how much the Bears have loved pulling a swerve with these decisions in the past.

Going into the 2025 head coach carousel, most experts agreed that two names would drive the market. One was former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, and the other was Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Vrabel already took the open job with the New England Patriots, shocking nobody. Now Johnson is the one everybody is watching. He is the domino that will likely get every other job moving. The problem is nobody knows where he will go, due in large part to him not being available yet. That won’t happen until Detroit is eliminated from the playoffs or after the Super Bowl.

Benjamin Allbright of KOA Colorado updated the Irish Bears Show on the Johnson situation. First, things are far from decided. The coach is entirely focused on the Lions’ playoff run. However, based on what he’s heard to this point, expectations are that his choice is down to two teams: the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders.

Ben Johnson is weighing his options carefully.

The arguments for both sides seem straightforward. Las Vegas has Tom Brady doing the recruiting. Few have more gravitas and mystique than the seven-time Super Bowl champion. The Raiders also have a vacant GM slot, meaning they could hire somebody Johnson knows. Lastly, it’s believed they are prepared to pay him a massive contract. In contrast, the Bears have Caleb Williams, a talented roster, plenty of resources to improve it even further, and also seem willing to spend the money.

The crux of the issue is GM Ryan Poles. He is unfamiliar with Ben Johnson, which leads to questions about whether they share the same personnel vision. Team president Kevin Warren, who many wonder might be prone to interfering in football decisions, is also an unknown. If the Bears can assuage his concerns on this issue, their chances of landing him should go up. If Detroit loses this weekend to the Commanders, answers should be forthcoming within the next week.

As if Chicago sports couldn’t stay calm for a moment, new information about Caleb Williams has surfaced. Williams was spotted at the USC-Wisconsin game on Saturday with what appeared to be a cast on his right hand. Since the Bears’ season ended, there hasn’t been any official word about an injury he might have sustained. Could this be linked to the regular season? Possibly. However, if it were significant, you’d expect NFL insiders like Adam Schefter to have reported it.

Caleb Williams is at the USC-Wisconsin game and appears to have some sort of cast around his right hand.
pic.twitter.com/ABpnjjNckO

— Dave (@dave_bfr) January 18, 2025

How serious is this injury?

At first glance, it doesn’t seem too concerning. Mason West, the clinic director and physical therapist at Ignite Physical Therapy, provided some insights. West, known for sharing injury updates during the Bears season, reassured fans that this injury isn’t likely to be serious or long-term. Here’s what he said:

Wouldn't be too worried #DaBears fans. That kind of cast is for a fracture that I don't thing should hamper him, especially since it's January. (Ex. A thumb splint/cast is more scary imo)

Nothing to see here. https://t.co/dxhUZNiGx7

— Mason West (@WestSportsPT) January 18, 2025

So, while seeing Williams with a cast isn’t ideal, it’s probably nothing to worry about.

Latest update: Ian Rapoport clears the air.

Shortly after a viral clip showed Caleb Williams on the sidelines with his hand in a cast, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport provided a simple explanation. Rapoport revealed that Williams had a cyst removed from his hand, which is why he’s wearing the cast. It’s a minor issue, and he’s fine. So, there’s no need for Chicago fans to panic.

#Bears QB Caleb Williams had a cyst removed, which is why he’s wearing the cast on his hand. It’s minor, he’s fine. https://t.co/DAyuhtwdtD

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 18, 2025