New Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson didn’t act shy during his introductory press conference on Wednesday. The former offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions poked fun at Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, saying he liked defeating the Bears’ bitter rival twice a year.
Johnson took the Bears job because he thought the team was set up for success, especially with quarterback Caleb Williams on the roster. If Williams can develop in the offseason with Johnson, Chicago could be playing a few more football games in January of 2026.
Ben Johnson thought the 2024 Chicago Bears would be good
Johnson made a couple of telling comments about what he felt about the Bears roster in 2024. He appeared to take a slight shot at his predecessor Matt Eberflus for underperforming.
“I don’t think many people understand how set up for success this place is,” Johnson said.
As a rival of the Bears in 2024, Johnson thought Chicago would be the Lions’ toughest competition in the NFC North.
“Going into this season I felt like this place was a sleeping giant,” Johnson said. “I was personally more concerned about the Bears than I was any other team in the division.”
Matt Eberflus underperformed
Instead, Eberflus won only four games before he was fired a day after the Lions defeated the Bears 23-20 on Thanksgiving at Ford Field.
The Bears entered 2024 with expectations of being a playoff team. They were trending that way heading into the bye week, when they had a 4-2 record after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
However, issues from the preseason caught up with Chicago, and Eberflus was unable to turn things around. Williams struggled under Waldron’s leadership.
Now the Bears are paying Johnson reportedly $13 million a year to get Williams and the team right.
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