Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has agreed to change into the Chicago Bears head coach, a supply advised the Related Press on Monday. Johnson’s representatives later confirmed the information on social media.
The 38-year-old Johnson spent three seasons as Detroit’s offensive coordinator underneath Dan Campbell. He helped flip Jared Goff into one of many NFL’s greatest quarterbacks and was broadly thought of the highest head teaching candidate in the marketplace.
The Lions earned the highest seed within the NFC at 15-2 earlier than getting shocked by Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders of their divisional playoff recreation on Saturday. Detroit led the league in factors per recreation and completed second in yards passing and whole yards per recreation through the common season.
The Bears fired Matt Eberflus in November and changed him on an interim foundation with Thomas Brown. Chicago completed final within the NFC North at 5-12 and misplaced 10 in a row earlier than closing the season with a win at Inexperienced Bay.
The event of quarterback Caleb Williams would be the prime precedence for Johnson within the wake of the Bears’ fourth straight shedding season. The No 1 decide in final yr’s draft threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. However he was sacked a franchise-record and league-leading 68 occasions.
Johnson has a fan in Williams.
“I believe it’s been actually cool to observe,” Williams mentioned two weeks in the past. “Throughout our recreation, I might sit again and watch and attempt to be taught one thing. It was fascinating to observe. [Johnson] had wrinkles for counters and issues like that all through the sport.”
Johnson had robust reward for Williams earlier than the Bears confronted the Lions in Week 16.
“There’s no query that this man is gifted. I keep in mind standing on the sideline final recreation and you may hear the ball whistle by you,” Johnson mentioned. “He’s received fairly a fastball and has some creativity to him, can prolong performs and is correct down the sector as properly. Like I mentioned, I haven’t actually dove in and may inform you way more past that, however he’s been spectacular from afar.”
The Bears interviewed not less than 17 candidates. That checklist included former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, former Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who received the job in New England.
Chicago have simply three playoff appearances for the reason that 2006 workforce received the NFC. The Bears’ lone Tremendous Bowl title got here through the 1985 season.
Chicago haven’t received a postseason recreation for the reason that 2010 workforce superior to the convention title recreation underneath Lovie Smith. Johnson turns into their sixth head coach since then, not together with Brown.
In three years underneath common supervisor Ryan Poles, the Bears are 15-36 with two double-digit shedding streaks. They dropped their ultimate 10 video games in 2022 whereas in a teardown mode as a part of a franchise-worst 14-game slide.
Chicago got here into this season on the lookout for a playoff spot after making some high-profile strikes within the offseason, highlighted by Williams’ arrival and a blockbuster commerce with the Los Angeles Chargers for six-time Professional Bowl receiver Keenan Allen. However after a 4-2 begin, the season went off the rails.
The founding NFL franchise fired a head coach throughout a season for the primary time after they let Eberflus go following a collection of poor late-game selections. The Bears additionally fired an offensive coordinator for the second time in lower than a yr, with Shane Waldron lasting simply 9 video games after changing Luke Getsy within the offseason. Brown, who started the season as passing recreation coordinator, took over for Waldron after which grew to become interim coach a number of weeks later.
Issues received so unhealthy that followers chanted “Promote the workforce!” through the ultimate residence recreation in opposition to Seattle – a 6-3 loss earlier than a nationwide viewers on a Thursday evening.
