Ben Johnson had plenty of options before becoming the next head coach of the Chicago Bears. He met with nearly every team during the 2025 NFL head coaching search. He even famously turned down the Washington Commanders while they were on the way to interview him before they hired Dan Quinn.
Maybe it was the Bears’ rich history. Or the fact he’ll get to work with a burgeoning star in quarterback Caleb Williams. The five-year, $65 million contract he received certainly didn’t complicate matters. But ultimately, Johnson decided Chicago was the perfect fit for him.
Now, the offensive mastermind will have an opportunity to be a head coach at the NFL level for the first time. It was an opportunity Johnson never expected to have. But now that he does, he plans to approach the lead Bears role with the same tenacity that landed him the job in the first place, via Kevin Fisbain of The Athletic.
“My approach has always been, whatever role I was currently in, how do I best at that particular role,” he said. “I wasn’t necessarily looking at becoming a play caller — I didn’t think I’d ever have the chance to be a play caller, much less a head coach,” Johnson said. “For the longest time there in Miami, it was about, how do I break through and be a position coach in this league.”
“It’s not so much about telling the players what to do, it’s also some salesmanship to it,” Johnson said,” Johnson concluded. “You want them to believe that this play is not only going to work, but it’s going to make a difference.”
Ben Johnson’s road to Chicago Bears
Johnson began his coaching journey with Boston College in 2009. He quickly made the jump to the NFL level with the Miami Dolphins in 2012. Johnson stayed with the Dolphins through the 2018 season, rising all the way up to wide receivers coach.
But in 2019, Johnson decided to take a career plunge and join the Detroit Lions as their offensive quality control coach. He rose up the ranks going from tight ends coach to passing game coordinator before eventually landing Detroit’s offensive coordinator role in 2022.
That season, the Lions ranked fourth in total offense, averaging 380 yards per game. They followed that up by ranking third in 2023, averaging 394.8 YPG. And in 2024, the Lions ranked second in total offense, averaging 409.5 YPG.
Seeing Detroit emerge as a true offensive juggernaut is what put Johnson on the map. Any team that hired him would’ve been looking for him to add a bit of fireworks to their existing offense. The Bears won the sweepstakes, and Chicago is hopeful their franchise is the next to see an offensive revival under Johnson.
Expectations on Johnson’s shoulders
Part of the reason Bears fans, and the overall NFL, are so hyped for Johnson is his offense. After watching him in an assistant role, fans are excited to see if he succeeds or not as a head coach. And in Chicago, the franchise has found a hard time finding the right candidate at head coach recently.
Johnson replaced Matt Eberflus, who infamously become the first head coach in Bears history to be fired midseason. He ended his Chicago tenure with a 14-32 record, never reaching the playoffs.
Before him was Matt Nagy, who started his tenure by helping the Bears reach the postseason and winning the AP Coach of the Year award. They reached the playoffs once again in 2020 – the last time Chicago was in the postseason – but Nagy’s tenure ended one season later. The Bears had an overall 34-31 record under Nagy, but a 6-11 record in his final season.
The list goes on and on from John Fox to Marc Trestman. Lovie Smith was the last head coach to actually lead the Bears to a playoff win; all the way back in 2010.
Johnson is bringing plenty of his own hype with him to Chicago. The Bears have been so desperate for a true leader at the front of the table. He is looking to buck the trend of Chicago’s recent hires and help lead the Bears back to the top of the NFC North.
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