Ben Johnson, the Lions’ offensive coordinator, startled many when he elected to stay in Detroit for the 2024 season despite being a strong head coach candidate. He’ll be a popular candidate in 2025. Could a possible landing point be with an NFC North rival? According to sources, the Chicago Bears are now looking for four coaches to replace their head coaching vacancy after firing Matt Eberflus on Black Friday. These coaches include Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, and one Ben Johnson.
According to McNeil, the Bears want to interview more people, but these four are among their top priorities.
The Bears cannot interview current coaches until after the regular season and depending on their postseason performance. Vrabel can conduct interviews anytime he wants because he is not coaching this season. In theory, the Bears could hire Vrabel today.
Johnson has a strong case in Chicago. Following Caleb Williams’ problems this season, the Bears may want to seriously explore hiring an offensive-minded head coach to help him develop, even if the environment and coaching staff did not help. Shane Waldron flamed out in Chicago, while Thomas Brown struggled in his debut game as temporary head coach.
In the Bears’ 38-13 loss to the 49ers on Sunday, Williams passed for 134 yards and the team scored 13 points. One may argue that Johnson possesses the ability to restore Williams’ shape and transform Chicago’s attack into a formidable force.
It remains to be seen whether a team will sign Johnson this summer, but interest will definitely be high.
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