On Tuesday, the Chicago Bears officially announced former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next head coach. Johnson was one of the most sought after candidates in this year’s cycle and now lands his first head coaching gig in what has been an impressive last few seasons as OC.
Chicago fired Matt Eberflus during the season, ending his two-plus-year tenure with a 14-32 mark.
The Bears welcomed Johnson and his family into the facility with applause, with the new HC waving on and thanking everyone.
Johnson then joked, “Everyone get back to work.”
“Listen, thank you so much. My family and I, we are beyond excited. This is exactly where we wanted to be. It’s exactly where we wanted to be,” Johnson began.
Bears hiring Ben Johnson: How Chicago’s new head coach can maximize Caleb Williams’ potential
Jared Dubin
He addressed the difficulty of playing in the NFC North, which was the best division in football in 2024, with three teams making the playoffs. The Lions finished 15-2 as the No. 1 seed, the Minnesota Vikings were 14-3 and the Green Bay Packers ended the year 11-6. The Bears weren’t close to their divisional rivals, coming in at 5-12.
“This is going to be a challenge. I’m well aware of that. I know what this division’s about, and this is exactly where we want to be,” Johnson said. “We’re going to go after this thing, and it’s going to take all of us in this room. It’s going to take this locker room.”
Johnson emphasized the importance of the players feeling like the organization is there to help them win, promising positive results if that goal is reached. Chicago’s last playoff game came in 2020 and their last win was in 2010.
“It’s nothing more important than that locker room and us serving that locker room and those players. Alright. They need to understand that,” Johnson said. “They need to feel that from us every single day. And if we do that, the wins are going to come. The playoffs are going to come.”
The 38-year-old by saying he can’t wait to get to know everyone in the room and thanking them for the “warm welcome.”
Johnson also interviewed with the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders. He will now join former No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and will look to turn Chicago’s offense around just as he did with Detroit.
The Lions fell to the Washington Commanders 45-31 in the divisional round, allowing Johnson to accept a head coaching job now.
