The Chicago Bears have become an easy target in the first week of their hunt for a new head coach, and they can only blame themselves. Their ever-expanding list of applicants screams disorder, but in the end, selecting the perfect coach may not come down to whether the Bears truly know what they’re doing.
Instead, the Bears may attract the finest available head coaching candidate for the 2025 job cycle simply because they are the Bears. The organization’s history and legacy, paired with the city of Chicago and an ascending roster led by quarterback Caleb Williams, make the position an easy sale.
According to Sports Illustrated’s recent forecast of which coach each NFL team with an open position will employ, that simple sell for the Chicago Bears results in the hiring of Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
“I think Johnson is going to have a lot of options, and the news of the Las Vegas Raiders clearing the decks at general manager is certainly worth noting here.,” Conor Orr noted in an email. “Having the opportunity to coach outside of the NFC North would definitely appeal to Johnson, though we know more about Chicago’s quarterback position than Las Vegas. That was my deciding decision, but the Raiders rose in both my overall rankings and on my Ben Johnson radar following the general manager change.”
The Raiders have emerged as a surprising opponent in the Bears’ pursuit of Johnson, but any sensible football thinker would see Chicago’s current trend as far more favorable to a coach like Johnson than Las Vegas’.
The Bears have Williams, numerous solid skill players, a strong defensive core, the fifth-largest salary cap space to spend in 2025 NFL free agency, and three of the top 50 NFL draft picks. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to notice that the Bears are looking good.
The Chicago Bears finished their first interview with Ben Johnson on Saturday, and there will undoubtedly be more. The Bears and Raiders appear to be the final two contenders in the Johnson sweepstakes.
The New England Patriots are already in contract talks with Mike Vrabel, and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ refusal to fire GM Trent Baalke is most certainly a deal breaker for Johnson.
About The Author
