The Chicago Bears officially have their next head coach. On Monday, Jan. 20, the Bears hired the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, to lead the “Monsters of the Midway.”
The deal with Johnson –– who was rumored to be the Bears’ top choice –– may not have been closed as soon as Monday if the Washington Commanders had not upset the top-seed Lions in the playoffs on Saturday, Jan. 18. However, Washington’s win meant all the Lions assistant coaches were suddenly available for head coaching jobs.
The 38-year-old had been a hot candidate during the current hiring cycle, having turned down several coaching offers a year ago. At the time, Johnson said he had “unfinished business” with the Lions and wanted to get to a Super Bowl. That dream ended Saturday, and less than 48 hours later, he was tapped to lead a division rival.
Known for his play-calling, Johnson will be tasked with getting the Bears’ rookie quarterback, Caleb Williams, on track. Williams was asked about that possibility in his season-ending press conference two weeks ago.
“During our game, I would sit back and watch and try and learn something,” said Williams. “It was fascinating to watch because, like I said, he had wrinkles for counters and things like that throughout the game. I think he’s obviously done really well.“
According to reports, the Bears, who have missed the playoffs the last four seasons, will introduce Johnson in the next few days. On Monday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said losing a guy like Johnson was inevitable.
“Does it hurt to lose those guys? Absolutely. They’re a part of what we’ve been here. They’ve been here for four years,” Campbell said during his season-ending press conference. “They’re one of the major reasons why we’ve been able to get to where we’ve been. We came out of the dump and got to where we’re at. So, I will forever be grateful for those guys.”
In addition to Johnson, Campbell was speaking about defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, a candidate for several open head coaching positions. Two of the seven job openings have been filled.
That leaves the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys still to hire. Some of those openings could be filled later this week and next, when two additional teams are eliminated from the playoffs and more “up-and-coming” assistant coaches, like Johnson, are available.
