Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams recently discussed being pranked by somebody texting him and pretending to be Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The prankster told Williams he was taking the Bears head coaching job.
Williams laughed about it on a podcast after finding out it was a joke, but he couldn’t hide his excitement or respect for Johnson, who was the hottest name in this coaching cycle.
Williams didn’t know Johnson’s phone number before the prank, but he’ll get it now. The Bears are finalizing a deal with Johnson to become the team’s next coach, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday.
The Lions ranked among the top five scoring offenses in the NFL during Johnson’s three years as the OC, finishing fifth in 2022 and 2023, and first in 2024 at 33.2 points per game.
The Bears will look for Johnson to maximize Williams’ potential, which was on display during a roller-coaster rookie season. Williams set franchise passing records, but he also suffered through a 10-game losing streak.
The Bears hope Johnson also stabilizes their coaching ranks. Chicago has hired seven head coaches — including interim ones — since its last playoff win in the 2010 season. The Bears are the only team in the NFC without a divisional playoff appearance in the past 10 years.
Taking a closer look, Bears reporter Courtney Cronin answers key questions about the hiring, while analyst Matt Bowen breaks down what Johnson brings to Chicago. Senior NFL reporter Kalyn Kahler predicts what Johnson’s staff might look like, national NFL Insider Dan Graziano dishes on what he’s hearing about the hire, and draft analyst Matt Miller spins it forward to the draft. Finally, analyst Ben Solak grades the hire.
Was Johnson the top target all along?
When the Bears fired their offensive coordinator and head coach midseason for the first time in the organization’s 105-year history, it signified a shift inside Halas Hall. Chicago realized it could not afford to waste its most pivotal years for developing Williams and winning with him on his rookie contract, so nailing this hire with the biggest and best name available was the priority.
“You hate saying that decisions are going to set the trajectory of the franchise over the next 10 to 15 to 20 years; this is one that will,” Bears CEO and president Kevin Warren said days after the team fired Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29.
When the Bears officially began their search for the organization’s 19th head coach two weeks ago, their wide-net approach raised eyebrows around the league. The Bears interviewed candidates with extensive NFL head coaching experience (Mike Vrabel, Pete Carroll, Mike McCarthy and Ron Rivera) and some of the most sought after coordinators (Brian Flores, Todd Monken, Joe Brady) while also dipping into the college ranks (former Stanford coach David Shaw, current Tennessee State coach Eddie George). But Johnson’s name was always at the top of Chicago’s list.
Johnson had rebuffed interest from teams in the past, opting to stay in Detroit, but the number of teams that had him as their top candidate (Chicago, Las Vegas and Jacksonville) made a head coaching opportunity too much for Johnson to turn down. Some league sources say they were surprised by how quickly the Bears acted to land Johnson on the first day he was available to interview with teams in person after the Lions’ season concluded. But the Bears knew they weren’t Johnson’s only suitor and had to act quickly to land their top candidate.
General manager Ryan Poles stressed how important a plan to develop Williams would be for the candidate the Bears ended up choosing. Having seen twice a year how Johnson developed Jared Goff into one of the league’s best quarterbacks was a driving force behind why Johnson was the Bears’ top candidate all along. — Cronin
What will the Bears’ offense look like under Johnson?
Johnson’s creative and aggressive style of playcalling should be seen as an immediate upgrade for Williams and the Chicago offense. As a rookie, Williams showed flashes of his playmaking upside, throwing for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns. However, his 46.7 QBR ranked 28th in the league, and he struggled to stay on schedule as a thrower.
Goff’s 64 QBR in 51 regular-season starts with Johnson was his best under any of his six offensive coordinators (or head coaches doubling as OC, such as Sean McVay). Next up was his 57 QBR in 32 starts under McVay. Goff topped 4,000 passing yards in each season under Johnson. The Bears’ next quarterback to top 4,000 passing yards will be their first.
Under Johnson’s coaching — in a system that will create more timing throws off play-action and movement while also setting up explosive plays — Williams should be expected to take a major step forward in 2025. Johnson can develop Williams to be more rhythmic in the pocket and maximize his ability to create and throw on the move. — Bowen
What are you hearing around the league on the hire?
The Bears did a sprawling search but were connected to Johnson since early in the process. Over the past week, there was a feeling that Raiders minority owner Tom Brady was making a push to land Johnson in Las Vegas, but Chicago got aggressive after the Lions lost Saturday night and moved quickly to steal Johnson from its division rival. Now, the Bears can pair his innovative offensive mind with Williams. Jacksonville also had interest in Johnson, but sources say he was more comfortable with the front office setup in Chicago. As a first-time head coach, he’ll look to add experienced coaches to his staff, and sources tell me there’s a strong chance former Raiders and Saints head coach Dennis Allen will join as his defensive coordinator.
Early reaction to the hire around the league is positive, from what I can gather at the outset. Johnson is very well regarded as an offensive play designer and playcaller, and people who know him believe he has leadership qualities that can translate, as they say, from the small room to the big room. Time will tell, but if Williams’ development is priority No. 1 for the Bears, the belief is they’re in good hands with Johnson, who can assess the quarterback’s strengths and weaknesses and build an offense in which he can thrive. — Graziano
What might the rest of his staff look like?
This is the most important question facing Johnson and one that ultimately will determine his success as head coach. Support staff is where the rubber meets the road. Eberflus’ staff didn’t live up to expectations, and it’s part of why he didn’t make it through his third season in Chicago. The Bears fired two offensive coordinators in three seasons, and 13 coaches total turned over during Eberflus’ tenure (including defensive coordinator Alan Williams, who resigned for personal reasons in 2023, and running backs coach David Walker, who was fired for HR reasons, also in 2023).
Johnson will likely call plays, as he has proved to be an especially creative playcaller. When the Lions beat the Bears at Chicago this season, Johnson called a fake-stumble play that resulted in a touchdown and was inspired by previous Bears film of Packers quarterback Jordan Love for-real stumbling in an earlier game. Lions receiver Tim Patrick said this about his coordinator: “I don’t know how you look at a play where somebody fell on accident and think, ‘I’m going to call that in the game.’ He’s just, he’s one-of-one when it comes to that playcalling, the timing of it and all that. So it’s literally, it’s him. He comes up with it, and we just execute it.”
Johnson’s hires on offense will be the most important because Williams will be on his fourth offensive coordinator (Shane Waldron, interim OC Thomas Brown, interim-interim OC Chris Beatty) when he starts his sophomore season. Williams’ development is paramount, and the previous offensive staff lacked coaches with proven experience developing rookie quarterbacks. This time, Johnson has experience in working directly with quarterbacks. He was assistant quarterbacks coach in Miami when Ryan Tannehill went into his second season, and was an offensive assistant during Tannehill’s rookie year. Chicago’s offensive line was another weakness in 2024, and in Detroit, Johnson worked with one of the league’s best offensive lines and with respected offensive line coach Hank Fraley. That allowed Johnson even more flexibility in designing plays that put a lot of responsibility on the O-line. — Kahler
What do Lions players say about Johnson?
The first thing that comes up is his intensity. Offensive tackle Dan Skipper told me that he has been sure to maintain a 5-yard bubble around Johnson at all times during games. “You’re bound to get dog-cussed like nothing you’ve ever been before,” Skipper said. “The only one who gets to talk to him is Jared [Goff].
“He’s one of the most intense people you’ll ever meet, and he doesn’t put off like that, but he’s incredibly intense and, like, don’t get in his way.”
And, having stood in his vicinity during Lions training camp, I can say that Johnson treats practice just like a game. — Kahler
How could the Bears improve their 2025 roster with the No. 10 overall pick?
The biggest key for Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles will be getting Williams to perform to the standards of a No. 1 overall pick. To do that, Williams needs a better scheme (which is coming with Johnson) and better protection. Left tackle Braxton Jones, who allowed five sacks this season, has been solid, but he will be a free agent after next season. Chicago could target left tackle Will Campbell (LSU) or Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas) at No. 10 with the idea of playing them at left guard for their rookie season and then evaluating their future in contrast with Jones’ free agent value.
The wide receiver corps is strong with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, but the group lacks the speed element that Jameson Williams brought to Detroit. Luther Burden III (Missouri) is likely to be the best receiver on the board at that selection and could be in play. It might seem counterintuitive to think defense at No. 10, but should Poles go with a best-player-available approach, the Bears could look to the defensive line if Mason Graham (Michigan) falls to them.
Chicago’s roster isn’t strong enough to target a single position in the first round — especially with two early picks in Round 2 — but addressing the offensive line with Campbell or Banks is the smartest play. — Miller
2:19
The challenges that await Ben Johnson at the Bears
Marcus Spears and Dan Orlovsky react to news Ben Johnson has left his role as the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator to become the new head coach of the Chicago Bears.
How would you grade this hire?
A+. There’s no way of knowing any hire will work, so giving out an A-plus might be a fool’s errand, but this is the dream outcome for the Bears. Johnson started taking interviews after the 2022 season following his work with Jared Goff, and for two years has been the apple of the league’s eye for his highly creative and explosive offense. Johnson also likely benefited from learning under Dan Campbell — who is an excellent player’s coach with a great aptitude for in-game decision-making — and participated in a healthy long-term rebuild through the draft, which the Bears need.
Most importantly, Johnson is the sort of powerful offensive mind who can draw the best out of Williams — the future of Bears football if he hits. A coach like Johnson makes Williams hitting all the more likely. The Bears got their guy. — Solak
Source: www.espn.com