Ben Johnson helped Jared Goff become one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Now, he will try to do the same for Caleb Williams.
Johnson, who has been the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator for the past three years, has agreed to become the head coach of the Chicago Bears, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke anonymously because the contract was still being finalized.
This will be Johnson’s first head coaching job. He has been highly sought after, after his time in Detroit under head coach Dan Campbell. Johnson joined the Lions in 2019 after spending seven years as an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins.
Under Johnson’s guidance, Goff has thrown for over 4,400 yards in each of the last three seasons. During this time, Goff made two of his four career Pro Bowls.
The Lions finished the regular season with the best record in the NFC at 15-2, though they were surprisingly eliminated by Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in the divisional playoffs on Saturday. Detroit led the league in points scored per game and ranked second in passing yards and total yards per game.
The Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus on November 29 and replaced him temporarily with Thomas Brown. Chicago finished at the bottom of the NFC North with a 5-12 record, losing 10 games in a row before ending the season with a win over Green Bay.
The top priority for Johnson in Chicago will be to develop Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft. Williams threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions in his rookie season, but was sacked a league-leading 68 times, setting a franchise record.
Williams has shown respect for Johnson. “I think it’s been really cool to watch,” Williams said a couple of weeks ago when the Bears cleaned out their lockers. “During our game, I would sit back and watch and try and learn something. It was fascinating to watch. He had wrinkles for counters and things like that throughout the game.”
Johnson praised Williams’ talent when the Lions played the Bears in Week 16. “There’s no question that this guy is talented. I remember standing on the sideline last game and you can hear the ball whistle by you,” Johnson said.
“He’s got quite a fastball and has some creativity to him, can extend plays and is accurate down the field as well. Like I said, I haven’t really dove in and can tell you much more beyond that, but he’s been impressive from afar.”
The Bears interviewed 17 candidates for the job, including former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, and former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel. Chicago has only three playoff appearances since the 2006 season when they reached the NFC Championship Game. Their only Super Bowl title came in the 1985 season.
The Bears have not won a postseason game since 2010, when they reached the NFC Championship Game under coach Lovie Smith. Johnson will be the team’s sixth head coach since then, not including Brown, who served as interim coach.
Under general manager Ryan Poles, the Bears have a 15-36 record over three years, with two double-digit losing streaks. In 2022, they lost their last 10 games, a part of a franchise-worst 14-game losing streak.
Coming into this season, the Bears hoped to make a playoff run after making big moves in the offseason, including drafting Caleb Williams and trading for Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen. However, after a strong 4-2 start, the season quickly fell apart.
The Bears made history by firing a coach mid-season for the first time in the franchise’s history. They also fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron after just nine games, replacing him with Brown, who had been the passing game coordinator. Brown eventually became interim head coach a few weeks later.
The Bears’ struggles led to fans chanting “Sell the team!” during the final home game against Seattle, a 6-3 loss on Thursday night that aired nationally.
