The Chicago Bears have conducted an exhaustive search for their next head coach. This process is complete as they have reportedly landed a top prospect.
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NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported on Jan. 20 that the Bears were finalizing a deal to hire Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The insider noted that the parameters were in place and that Johnson was en route to the Windy City.
"Barring a last-minute snag, the (Lions) OC lands with an NFC North rival," Pelissero posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Johnson has been one of the top prospects as multiple teams have sought their next head coach. He completed interviews with multiple teams before the Lions' divisional-round game against the Commanders.
The Raiders were regularly mentioned as strong contenders to land Johnson, but he chose to remain in the NFC North. This means that he will coach against his former team twice each season.
A product of the Carolinas, Johnson started his NFL career as an offensive assistant for the Dolphins in 2012. He spent seven seasons in South Beach while working with multiple skill position groups on the offensive side of the ball.
Johnson headed to Detroit in 2019 to be offensive quality control. He coached the tight ends in 2020-21 before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2022.
He has remained the OC since as the Lions have ranked top five in points per game. Last season was a showcase of Johnson's playcalling as the Lions ranked first with 70 total touchdowns on offense en route to a 15-2 record.
Johnson will now head to Chicago to work with last year's first overall pick in the NFL Draft, Caleb Williams. He will attempt to turn around a team that ranked last in total offense last season with an average of 283.5 yards per game.
Equally important will be getting the Bears back into playoff contention. The NFC North team last made the playoffs in 2020 under Matt Nagy's leadership. They lost in the wild-card round. This was only the Bears' second playoff appearance since the NFC Championship loss to the rival Packers in 2010.
The Bears have not won the NFC North since 2018. They have finished third or worse in the division in five of the last six seasons.
