Bears hire Ben Johnson
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bear down: Chicago is finalizing a deal to hire Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as its next head coach, sources tell ESPN. Bears are getting their man. <a href="https://t.co/UwlLk3wNJZ">pic.twitter.com/UwlLk3wNJZ</a></p>&mdash; Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1881440006486761761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Caleb's better than Mahomes!

RIP Ben Johnson’s Career

Seems like a good hire.

Caleb will be talked about like Jayden Daniels next year. They finally have a a good offensive coach and QB to go with it

It had to be weird for Ben Johnson, knowing that if the Lions made the Super Bowl, the Bears might get ansty and pull the trigger on someone else. Which is understandable, because for all they know some other team might come in and double their offer. Then they miss out on their first, second, and third choice.

Bieniemy got screwed on that when he was supposedly still a hot commodity.

No one should be allowed to talk to anyone until after the Super Bowl imo.

Raiders LMAO

Don't think Bieniemy was ever a hot commodity.

This getting done this fast pretty much means they really did not care about any live interviews and his agent had this already worked out before the Lions were elimintaed. Which also means the Bears would have waited.

Should be a great hire. Unfortunately it’s the Bears and it will collapse.

It’s a way better choice for him than Vegas.

Raiders will get Eddie George

I feel like this is inevitable. I think Johnson is probably the best HC candidate available, but I also know that CHI is where HCs go to die.

He was a name in the media for a few years and had several interviews.

Not saying he would have been good, but some of the names hired over him turned out to be truly awful.

I ****ing told some of you the Raiders noise was just that...

Get the media was pushing him. I just do not see him being anyones top pick and the Chiefs going to the Super Bowl was the reason he did not become a HC let alone two or morw teams vying for his services like Ben Johnson.

Their first play of the season should be a WR reverse pass.

He’s bringing Dennis Allen to be his DC per X

Mark sold the franchise's soul to Brady and didn't even land the dream hire.

Great job, Bowlcut.

Matt Nagy is still available.

Raiders going to be a tough sell with all the great coaches and QBs in the AFC west now.

I think Caleb will get better but its going to take a few years.

Don't give Mark any ideas!

I’d be worried about the ownership/front office situation in Chicago… but they have the best QB out of all the HC openings.

It'll be interesting to watch both the Bears and Lions next year.

I thought he was a Raider all the way.

He should wear squeaky shoes like the guy from Kung Pow: Enter the Fist.

And what if the Lions win the Superbowl and the Raiders offer Johnson 3x what the Lions offered? Nothing is certain until the deal is signed.

Gotta love it. LMAO @ Raiders

In that case the Bears would have waited and then been upset with his agent. The Raiders would be paying a coach more then the market value as well as paying the last 3 guys.

I still see them waiting if given the wink and nod that we have a deal from his agent. He either is or isn't their top choice. Poles does not strike me as being very wishy washy andI am not sure who his 2nd choice would be most of the other top candidates are on the defensive side.and Caleb statement and the logical need seems a offensive guy.

Good. This guy has too much talent to waste away.

Not a fan of Caleb but I love me a fan base like Chicago that’s stuck through some bullshit. He’s got a really really good roster if he can get Caleb to figure his shit out. Moving to a run first team and getting a few bellcows, easiest position to upgrade , is a good place to start.

It will be funny if Chicago is still a bad team, even with a talented #1 overall Draft pick at QB and a very good OC in their HC spot.

Meh. Josh McDaniels 2.0

Arrogant ass blew off the redskins last off season while their hiring team was in flight to Detroit.

Winning six, seven, or eight games next year or thereafter, is the ceiling.

Awe shucks, there is always the Raiders HC opportunity afterwards. :D

Mike Florio -- still a dipshit.

that's a nice sidekick -- Allen's a hell of a DC.

Now I'll be honest, he SHOULD hire an OC as well. Not someone he necessarily hands the keys to, but someone else to help him run that offense.

He's a new coach. Trying to be the CEO of an NFL team isn't the same as being an OC. These new HCs coming from offensive backgrounds really should hire an OC to help share the burden with them.

But I think their egos won't allow it.

If he wants to be Andy Reid someday, having that OC will help him. It has very much helped Andy, IMO. Even if Andy still runs the offense on gamedays, having that guy in the room helps.

If he wants to be Zac Taylor with his sparkly offense and routinely disappointing preparation and gameday coaching, go it alone.

There is ZERO reason for a HC, even an offensive minded one, not to have an OC. They don't count on the salary cap and they're just one more qualified hand you can delegate responsibility to.

The reason they don't is nothing but pride and ego, IMO.

Never made any sense to me at all.

I'd have immediately dismissed him as the next hot shit HC had he taken that job. That sort of poor judgment is just that bad.

The only thing that did was he could have gotten his pick at GM. The big question was what he thought of Poles and Caleb.

WTF does Ben Johnson know about hiring GMs?

Like I said, taking the Raiders job would've immediately soured me on him because it would've been just another example of a guy thinking his shit doesn't smell.

If he took a job as a first time HC because he could choose a GM, a job he knows NOTHING about, then he's the same sort of hard-headed, arrogant jackass that has failed in that role seemingly every single time.

Taking the Bears job shows a guy who has a better feel for how the league functions than I thought he might.

Best move they've made since Ditka, probably even better considering the modern implications

There was plenty of smoke around them wanting McCarthy, and Bears fans the world round should thank their lucky stars it wasn't him

I dunnooo, Jim!

Odunze, Moore, Kmet and Swift is a pretty good starter kit for an offensive minded young HC... coach up Williams and get some decent O lineman in the draft/free agency

Throw in a defense not lacking in young talent and thats potential lightening in a bottle, fast turnaround material IMO

Excited for my kid, she's a die hard Bear

Yeah it was the right move by both parties and could signal that Poles has gotten their old bird owner to actually commit to winning by going out and getting the best candidate available

But they're still the Bears until they're not

There will be ugly hurdles to clear no doubt, but this was a slam dunk hire IMO

His first job is to fix Williams attitude from arrogant jerk to leader.

His first job is to learn when not to burn his trick plays against rummies they're beating by 24.

He has some hubris he needs to work on in his own right. He and Campbell tended to fuel each others worst inclinations in that regard, IMO.

Someone is going to be happy to take that job and add HC to the resume.

Guaranteed money is guaranteed money.

McCarthy would actually be a solid hire for them. Better than they have any reason to expect. He's not a great coach but he's not an actively bad one.

Just getting damn professional in there to try to rebuild some stability and culture can only help.

Good hire for Chicago he’ll help develop Caleb which is the point,

They're in a position where they might be able to draft that Jeanty guy at RB. I'm not a college football guy, but everyone has been saying the guy is the next stud RB. They really need offensive line and defensive line, but man...I'd be tempted to grab a young star RB for that offense.

Damn. Notre Dame had a real chance to wrestle some momentum back on that 3rd and long.

I would gladly take McCarthy. He has a similar resume and win percentage as Tomlin and Payton.

Not sure Christ hisself can save Johnson in Chicago

The reasoning is sound... give Williams a cast of bruisers and cruisers at RB, look to upgrade Kmet, then fill in with cheap young talent behind your stud WR duo

Coach up Williams until his ears fall off, upgrade the O line... and Johnson could surprise with this team, quickly

Patriot Way hire Patriot Way. Since Todd Bowels was on a Jets staff. Rex Ryan may tickle Brady's fancy

Now that's an interesting idea.

A couple legit 1st round TE prospects that could be good picks for them. Hadn't thought about that but it might make some sense.

Interesting, I thought, at least it isn't the Raiders.

Give the rattled kid a shiny new binky/security blanket

It could be a high round rookie, or maybe even bring in Mark Andrews since Baltimore is so pissed with him right now... either way, go get your young QB a safety valve

Yeah. It will be interesting to watch.

I’ll be interested to see if 1 year of ****ery with Eberflus (I still can’t fathom how they went into the year with that dude as the guy) broke him.

Dude legitimately thought they were going to win immediately. He should be able to put it behind him. But he’s a weird dude.

Ironically, it seems that the Bears are having the best January of any NFC North team.

Of course, that's a pretty low bar. :D

Tom Brady in the 6th is the 'Patriot Way'. All of the rest of it, ALL of it has been proven fraudulent. ALL.

I think Brady is well aware of that.

Could see Brady hiring Aaron Glenn. Raiders way of saying they wanted a lions guy and got him. also has a parcells tree connection. His defense was overrated and he is obviously not an offense coach. So I'm very cool with that

I think the Bears could really have used someone like McCarthy. They need competence. You can fire him down the line if they’re not taking the next step. Johnson might be competent, but it might take time for him to get it. And what they can’t have above all else is incompetence.

It’s a fine hire. You got an offensive mind who is supposedly the top coordinator candidate of this hiring cycle.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The new head coach of the Chicago Bears, Ben Johnson: <a href="https://t.co/hCQgPf7s9q">pic.twitter.com/hCQgPf7s9q</a></p>&mdash; Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1881786812462751851?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


He speaks well

Jacksonville reportedly lost out on Ben Johnson because of their loyalty to Trent Baalke… what a dumpster fire franchise.

DUVAAAAAAAAAL

I was mortified when Clark wouldn’t fire Pioli right away, but he was just making sure Andy didn’t want to keep him.

And it could be soooooo much worse. My God. Jaguars might not see the playoffs for another 10 years all because they can’t get the coach right because the GM is a fart.

Baalke also won the SF power struggle and forced out Harbitch. How is that guy so incompetent and yet able to convince owners that he’s the mastermind?

The only explanation is being a FO guy gives you an advantage because you're around the owner more :shrug:

The simplest explanation is a leak. And not necessarily even an accurate one.

It could be by Baalke trying to measure his dick. It could be by a former/current coach trying to demonstrate that Baalke is all powerful (and therefore the guy to point fingers at rather than him/his client). It could be the owner trying to spin being spurned.

On its face, it doesn't make a ton of sense. So it's probably not 100% accurate.

I don't know, it felt like it was Chicago's to lose. Ben Johnson has long been rumored to have always been very interested in Chicago. As bad as Jacksonville is, like the raiders, I don't think Ben Johnson was theirs to take as long as Chicago was willing to pay handsomely. And it sounds like Chicago did that which is very uncharacteristic of their ownership.

I just realized that he said they lost out on him because of that.

I don't think that's what the report said. It just said that Khan had to ask for the interview through his agent (implying Johnson wasn't interested because of Baalke), and that Khan proceeded to do the interview without ever addressing the elephant in the room.

I don't think Khan or Baalke would've leaked that, because it makes both of them look bad. More like somebody else in the building that wants to let everybody know how bad it is in Jacksonville.

I think it is a fine hire. The big issue is fixing the OL. Which is on the front office and not Johnson. But I think Johnson success and failure is going to hinge on the OL.

So he was down with the face tattoo requirement but Baalke was too much. Interesting…

Yeah - that's where I'm drawing a line.

Might they have never truly been in the running because of Baalke? I can buy that. But the idea that they 'lost out on him' because of Baalke? That they had him if they'd have just been willing to move on from Baalke but they refused to do so?

Nah -- that's a bridge too far. I suspect they knew they weren't ever really in contention here and that's why they didn't go moving mountains to make it happen. But had Johnson showed up with a pen and said "Alright, I'm signing but only IF you get rid of Baalke..." I absolutely believe Jacksonville would've moved on.

They didn't lose on Johnson because of Baalke. In all probability, they were likely not in the runnnig.

The OL is by no means good but it's also a little hard to know with how horrendous the offense coaching was. It kind of goes hand in hand but a running back could help a ton too and those aren't hard to get. Swift looked cooked and was probably overrated because of Philly's OL.

And then for the love of god demand that caleb get rid of the ball faster. And if he is at all coachable maybe remind him he doesn't need to throw a 100 mph fastball to a guy standing 5 feet away from him

I think I read somewhere a few months ago that Caleb was making the OL look worse than it actually was because he consistently was holding the ball too long. But in the same article they did say that their OL was not in fact very good. Caleb hanging onto the ball as long as he did just made everything worse up front.

Johnson is going from one the top OL's to one of the bottom OL's. A good Ol will make the QB look better, give the coach a lot more options in the playbook etc. If the Bears QB asked do we have time to run Wasp? I think the answer is no, while the Lions run all sorts of slow developing plays and get away with it.

I'm with Megatron here that the qb really really didn't do any favors. Caleb holds onto the ball way too long. I know there are stats floating around that he's been getting rid of the ball for less than 2.5 seconds but that really doesnt pass the eye test. I don't think that counts the sacks where he holds onto the ball for an hour. Or the sheer volume of designed quick hitters.

The only passes he could complete were quick hits like wr screen. There's a reason dj Moore got a million touches a game. But anything further, he was terribly inaccurate and refused to check the ball down. For as much as he was pressured his refusal to check down is astonishing. I don't know if that's coaching or stubbornness. Or both.