Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson agrees to become Bears head coach, AP source says

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Quarterback coach Ben Johnson played a significant role in helping Jared Goff solidify his position as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

Now, he's going to attempt something similar for Caleb Williams.

A person close to the situation told The Associated Press on Monday that the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator will become the new head coach of the Chicago Bears.

The person was interviewed by the AP on condition of anonymity while a contract was being completed.

This will be Johnson's first head coaching job, as a 38-year-old. Johnson was considered the top candidate, and a top choice, after working as the Lions' offensive coordinator for the past three seasons under coach Dan Campbell. He was part of the Lions' staff since 2019, after working for seven years as an assistant with the Miami Dolphins.

With Johnson in charge of the offense, Goff passed for over 4,400 yards in each of the past three seasons. During that time, he also made two of four spots in the Pro Bowls of his career.

The Lions secured the top seed in the NFC with a 15-2 record, but were later shocked by Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in their divisional playoff game on Saturday. During the regular season, Detroit topped the league in points per game and took second place in passing yards and total yards per game.

The Bears let Matt Eberflus go as head coach on November 29th and temporarily replaced him with Thomas Brown. Chicago finished at the bottom of the NFC North standings with a 5-12 record and suffered ten straight losses before winning their final game at Green Bay.

Johnson will make the development of Williams his top priority after the Bears' fourth consecutive losing season. Last year's number one draft pick, Williams, threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions. However, he was sacked a new franchise record and league leading 68 times.

Williams admires Johnson.

It's been really cool to watch," Williams said two weeks ago, when the Bears cleaned out their lockers. "During the game, I would sit back and watch and try to learn something. It was really fascinating to watch. He had wrinkles in his game plan and various strategies throughout the game.

Johnson had high praise for Williams before the Bears played the Lions in Week 16.

“He definitely has the ability,” Johnson said. “I recall being on the sidelines during the last game and the ball zooming right by them, since you could clearly hear the whistle.”

He's got a strong fastball and some good instincts on the field. He can make plays extend and has the accuracy to throw the ball downfield. Like I mentioned earlier, I've only observed him from afar, but he's made a favorable impression.

The Bears confirmed speaking with 17 candidates for the coaching position. This list included former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, former head coaches of the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys Mike McCarthy, and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, who later became the head coach in New England.

Chicago has only made the playoffs three times since the 2006 team won the NFC championship. The Bears' only Super Bowl victory occurred during the 1985 season.

The Chicago team hasn't won a postseason game since the 2010 team advanced to the championship game under coach Lovie Smith. Johnson becomes their sixth head coach since then.

In three years under general manager Ryan Poles, the Bears have a record of 15-36 with two seasons of 10 or more consecutive losses. They lost their last 10 games in 2022 while the team was in a rebuilding phase and experienced a franchise-worst 14-game losing streak.

Chicago entered this season seeking a playoff spot following significant offseason changes, including the addition of Williams and a major trade with the Los Angeles Chargers for six-time Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen. However, after initially going 4-2, the season lost momentum.

The original NFL franchise released a head coach during the season for the first time when they let Eberflus go after a series of bad decisions he made late in games. The Bears also fired a second offensive coordinator in less than a year, letting go of Shane Waldron after just nine games. He replaced Luke Getsy earlier in the year. Brown, who was initially in charge of the passing game, took over as coordinator after Waldron left, then became interim coach a few weeks later.

Things became so bad that spectators chanted "Sell the team!" during the final home game against Seattle - a 6-3 loss in front of a national audience on a Thursday night.

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