Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson will not retain interim coach and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.
Brown negotiated a role with the Seattle Seahawks, who fired Ryan Grubb after one season.
Brown was promoted twice by the Bears in 2024, moving from coordinator to offensive coordinator and then taking on an interim coaching role when Matt Eberflus was fired in November.
Bears team president Kevin Warren confirmed late in the season that Brown would be selected to remain as head coach. But a different reality emerged at Johnson’s introductory press conference Wednesday at Halas Hall.
Team chairman George McCaskey said there is always one person — Johnson, who has been the Lions’ coordinator for three seasons and on Detroit’s coaching staff since 2019 — based on the preferences of his football staff.
“(GM) Ryan (Poles) says, ‘This is the guy we want,’ and I said, ‘Go get him,'” McCaskey said briefly Wednesday.
Brown and Johnson are the same age (38) and have different stages of success. The Bears finished last (32nd) in total offense in 2024, but Brown pushed rookie No. 1 chose Caleb Williams for consistently good results.
Brown went 1-4 as the Bears’ head coach, beating the Packers in his last game in January.
In addition to Brown, the Seahawks interviewed Lions coach Hank Fraley, Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Vikings assistant OC and quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski for their OC role.
Brown played running back at Georgia and was drafted by the Falcons in 2008 before beginning his college coaching career. He worked for Georgia, Wisconsin, Miami and the College of Charleston and connected with Sean McVay as an offensive assistant for the Rams following one season as the offensive coordinator at South Carolina.
Brown was hired as the Panthers’ coordinator in 2023 but moved on after Carolina made another coaching change.
The Athletic reported Thursday that in addition to Brown, the Bears parted ways with defensive coordinator Eric Washington, interim OC and wideouts coach Chris Beatty, offensive line coach Chris Morgan and QBs coach Kerry Joseph.
–Field Level Media