Some have tabbed Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as the Chicago Bears’ top head-coaching candidate. But does he want the job?
In a piece published Monday, Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer indicated Johnson is losing interest in Chicago’s opening.
“Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s name has been linked to Chicago forever,” wrote Breer. “I think last year, the Bears would’ve been near the top of his list. This year? It’s probably more wait-and-see.”
Johnson, 38, seemingly isn’t rushing to land his first head-coaching gig. After interviewing with the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks this past offseason, he removed himself from consideration.
“He’ll be selective this year taking interviews, likely only to sit down with teams he can see himself working for,” wrote Breer. “And while I expect him to take an interview with Chicago, his criteria will remain as we’ve outlined, with Johnson seeking alignment with a GM and an ownership group willing to identify and fix its mistakes. Maybe he’ll find that in Chicago. Maybe not. We’ll see.”
Chicago has repeatedly failed to learn from its blunders. The Bears (4-12) have not made an NFC Championship Game in 14 years and are amid their fourth straight losing season.
The Bears have also cycled through multiple HCs in recent years, including John Fox, Matt Nagy and Matt Eberflus. Chicago fired Eberflus on Nov. 29, replacing him with interim Thomas Brown.
The dysfunction could be hampering rookie quarterback Caleb Williams’ development. Over his past three games, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick has completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 647 yards with three touchdowns, one interception and a below-average 82.5 passer rating.
Johnson, an offensive guru, could maximize Williams’ potential. The Lions (13-2) have averaged 32.9 points per game through their first 15 contests.
However, if Williams doesn’t show signs of improvement in Sunday’s road game against the Green Bay Packers (11-5), the job may be less attractive to Johnson.
Perhaps Chicago should target Washington Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury as a backup plan. In 2023, Kingsbury coached Williams as an offensive analyst at Southern California. This season, he has helped Washington QB Jayden Daniels become an Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite.
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