The Detroit Lions have likely been the best club in football this season, with Dan Campbell’s squad going 11-1 and winning ten straight games following a 1-1 start. Detroit defeated the Chicago Bears 23-20 in Week 13 and will play the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field on Thursday Night Football.
Though the Lions’ defense has been dominant in 2024, Detroit’s offense is one of the most exciting in the league, having thrived under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The 38-year-old took over as the franchise’s offensive coordinator in 2022, and the Lions have consistently finished in the top five in scoring. Johnson has been the coordinator, and his team has averaged 31.9 points per game through 12 games in 2024, which leads the league.
Johnson has emerged as a top candidate for head coaching in the 2025 cycle, thanks to the Lions’ offensive prowess. The former tight ends coach could have easily landed a head coaching job last offseason, but he wants to be “very careful” about where he goes, if he leaves Detroit at all, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. If Johnson decides to take a head coaching job this offseason, NFL Spin Zone’s Lou Scataglia thinks that the Bears will select the astute offensive coordinator as their next head coach.
We just witnessed a former coordinator leave his team to become the head coach of another team in the same division, so Ben Johnson leaving Detroit to become the head coach of the Chicago Bears is not entirely unlikely. Dan Quinn, former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator, left to become the head coach of the Washington Commanders this cycle. Johnson is probably waiting for the ‘just right’ opportunity because he’s been such a sought-after name the last two cycles. Being able to teach Caleb Williams and the Bears could be the ideal situation for him.
Though the Bears have been plagued by dysfunction for the past decade, hiring Johnson would be a significant step toward restoring the franchise. On December 1, Schefter claimed that the Lions’ standout coordinator would be interested in seeking the Bears position. “Everybody’s gonna have their eyes on Ben Johnson, the Lions offensive coordinator, and I think he might have some interest in that job (Bears head coaching vacancy),” according to Schefter. “We’ll see if they can convince him to come to Chicago.”
Landing Johnson as head coach would be a terrific hire for Chicago, as the long-time offensive coordinator would be a natural fit with young signal caller Caleb Williams and would elevate the Bears’ mediocre offense to new heights.
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