Bears hire Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as next head coach

Jan 20

Chris Francis Sports Reporter

By Chris Francis (Sports Reporter), Zachary Hill (Video Editor)

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.”

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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.

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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.

Tags: Chicago, Detroit, Football, NFL

Saturday, the Washington Commanders did the Chicago Bears a huge favor. By knocking out the top seed Detroit Lions, suddenly all their assistant coaches were available for head coaching jobs.
Top of the list was Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson who is now on his way to Chicago as the Bears next coach.

Johnson was a hot candidate during this hiring cycle after turning down several coaching offers a year ago. At the time he said he had “unfinished business” with the Lions, wanting to get to a Super Bowl. Obviously, that dream ended Saturday and less than 48 hours later he’s leading a division rival.
Known for his play calling, Johnson will be tasked with getting 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. 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 so.“

According to reports, the Bears, who have missed the playoffs the last four seasons, will introduce Johnson in the next few days but 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. They’re one of the major reasons why we’ve been able to get to where we’ve been. We came out of the y’know, came out of the dump and got to where we’re at. So, I will forever be grateful for those guys”

Campbell talks about guys, plural, because his defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is a candidate for several of the jobs that remain open.

Here’s the running list, two of the 7 openings have been filled. That leaves the Jaguars, Raiders, Jets, Saints and Cowboys. When will the next domino fall? Another hire this week is certainly possible.

And next week as well, when there are two more teams eliminated from the playoffs and more ‘up and coming’ assistant coaches become available.
FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M CHRIS FRANCIS