Carmen Vitali
NFL reporter
Black Monday is a day that many employees across the NFL dread every year. The day we get a lot of news about which coaches have been let go from their teams. A day that we must not forget is a day of people in an amazing way. Not only the head coaches were let go, but the entire staff. It means an overall increase in families across the league. I like to remember those types of things before just talking about the head coaching hiring cycle. You’re not just trying to make the numbers work, you’re talking about health and livelihood.
That being said, there are many organizations that are now in need of a head coach and can begin the process of interviewing coaches (some already have).
One of those teams is the Chicago Bears, who snapped a 10-game losing streak and an 11-game losing streak to the Packers all in the final week of the season on Sunday. In rookie Caleb Williams’ first trip to Lambeau Field, he did the franchise’s most difficult feat. Of course, not alone. The late field goal situation was handled appropriately and credit goes to interim coach Thomas Brown, who got his first win in charge of the Bears. General manager Ryan Poles said Brown will receive a full, formal interview for the permanent position as the Bears begin their search for their 19th head coach.
However, another name that was high on the wish list of many Bears fans is someone whose team is not yet done playing football: Detroit Lions coordinator Ben Johnson. Because Detroit clinched the top seed and the NFC North for a Week 18 game against the Minnesota Vikings, Johnson will have more time on his hands with a first-round bye. Teams will be able to negotiate with him (and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn) as early as Wednesday and must complete those negotiations by Jan. 13, according to NFL recruiting cycle rules.
The Bears have reportedly already expressed interest in negotiating with Johnson, and why wouldn’t they? Johnson led the league’s highest scoring offense, with Detroit averaging nearly 33 points per game in the regular season.
Johnson’s offenses have become the gold standard over the past two seasons. He is devilish in his playing and draws new wrinkles every week. His players also seem to have them pleasure playing with him. He’s asking them to do wild things, like asking right tackle Penei Sewell to throw a pass, or catch a pass, or run a fake reverse, or lead block, or play left tackle. The schemes Johnson dreamed up for “Sonic and Knuckles” aka Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, resulted in both players passing 1,000 scrimmage yards, even with Monty’s injury. Gibbs walked out four touchdowns at the end of the season. Johnson finds inspiration everywhere, including broken games that end up working. On the Bears’ last play against him, Johnson called a fake play in which Goff was intentionally fumbled, Gibbs hit a punt and players yelled “fumble” while Sam LaPorta went wide for a wide-open touchdown.
Johnson found it in Chicago’s 2023 game against the Packers when linebacker Jordan Love fumbled the ball, but it stopped the linebackers long enough for Packers tight end Luke Musgrave to get open and Love delivered the score anyway. .
Things like that are why Johnson will be the hottest player in this cycle, should he choose to leave (which is still a coach. if). Chicago would be foolish not to follow him.
Not only does it make sense for the Bears, but Chicago is Johnson’s best option, too.
Johnson will take over for Williams, the team’s first choice in 2024. Williams, while taking the most sacks of any quarterback in the league, is still having a statistically impressive season. His 3,451 passing yards are the fifth most by any Bears quarterback ever. His 20 touchdowns this season are the most since Mitch Trubisky had 24 in 2018 and the 12th most by any quarterback in franchise history. Williams threw just six interceptions.
More than just Bears history, Williams’ numbers stack up among rookie quarterback annals across the league. During the broadcast, a stat chart flashed on the screen showing Williams ranked first in touchdown-to-interception ratio among the 28 quarterbacks drafted since 1967. His completion percentage of 62.5% ranks fourth.
Such a child? Johnson can work on that. He’s already gotten the best of quarterback Jared Goff, who was sent to Detroit as a consolation in the Rams’ Matthew Stafford trade. Goff was desperate but, Goff is ranked second in completion rate this season. His 4,629 passing yards are also passing. His 0.25 EPA/dropback also ranks, you guessed it, second in the league, according to Next Gen stats. Goff wasn’t just building a powerful Lions offense, he was directing it. A lot of that has to do with the scheme Johnson dreamed up and the tools he equipped Goff with. Goff has recently become a more confident, efficient linebacker under Johnson. You learn to defend yourself better, and you live better under pressure. It was enough to sign him to an extension this past season that will pay him up to $212 million. By average contract value, Goff is the sixth highest paid quarterback.
Imagine if Johnson did that to Williams with his second contract.
Williams alone should attract Johnson, but the Bears aren’t the only team with a promising young quarterback under center. The New England Patriots made the surprising decision to fire Jerod Mayo after one season on Sunday — not waiting until Black Monday to do it. The Patriots are also expected to have the most cap space in the league for 2025, at just over $130 million, according to Spotrac. In his final game as a head coach, Mayo coached the Patriots without an overall win, even though New England would still pick in the top five. But you could argue that their roster needs more than what the Bears do.
Also, Chicago is projected to have more than $80 million in cap space this offseason itself, which ranks sixth. They will have eight draft picks, including four in the top 100.
The Bears also locked in guys like wide receiver DJ Moore and tight end Cole Kmet on long-term deals. Rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze is under team control through 2028, along with Williams. Work will need to be done on the offensive line. Knowing what we’re doing during Johnson’s time in Detroit, it’s going to have to come back to strengthen, too. But it’s a great team to work with.
Defensively, the Bears have some needs up front but if everyone is healthy, the room at linebacker and secondary is comparable to what Detroit had. When compared to what the Patriots need (offensive line, receivers, running backs, edge rushers, linebackers, defensive backs), I think Chicago seems like the path of least resistance.
Johnson is familiar with the unit, too. That is important for someone who spends a lot of time playing chess with his opponents. Johnson throws improbable looks and plays every game. He chooses things about his opponent that he will use and do better than anyone else. With a little shuffling around the stage, Johnson would have all that knowledge built in.
Johnson makes sense for the Bears, but more than that, the Bears make sense for Johnson. The only question now is if Chicago’s brass is willing to pony up for the hottest head coaching candidate on the market — and wait to do so. Johnson will not come cheap and the Bears are not known for their generosity.
They also have a unique organizational structure. Johnson would report not only to Poles but to team president Kevin Warren, too, in addition to ownership.
But from an on-field, career perspective, Johnson and the Bears appear to be the best match.
Carmen Vitali is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. Carmen has had previous stops with The Draft Network and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, adding the title of Super Bowl Champion (and showboating participant) to his resume. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.
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