What Ben Johnson hire means for Bears, Lions: Why Chicago isn’t in the clear yet after landing top coaching target

The Bears are reportedly finalizing a deal with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to make him the organization’s head coach. Chicago is landing the most coveted coaching candidate on the market.

In three seasons of Johnson coordinating Detroit’s offense, the Lions ranked no less than fourth in total offense and fifth in scoring offense each season.

Johnson’s hiring will have major ramifications in the NFC North, but what does it mean specifically for the Bears and Lions? Let’s dive in and find out.

What Johnson’s hiring means for the Bears

The clock is ticking on quarterback Caleb Williams. 

While details of Johnson’s contract haven’t been publicized, if he earns close to the reported $15M he sought for a head-coaching gig last offseason — which his agent denied — the Bears would be making a massive investment in someone with no head-coaching experience.

On Monday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote, “The over/under is $14.5 million per year. Don’t be surprised if it’s over.”

While the money certainly helped, as The Athletic senior NFL editor Mike Sansone noted, NFL insider Dianna Russini said Johnson’s decision boiled down to one fact: The Bears have Williams, and other teams don’t.

“Ben Johnson picked the Bears because of the quarterback,” Sansone wrote. “It’s that simple.” 

Williams was the No. 1 overall pick of last year’s NFL Draft and had an inconsistent rookie season. While posting the league’s lowest interception rate over his last 11 games (0.3%), the 2022 Heisman winner was sacked an NFL-high 68 times, continuing his troubling habit of holding on to the football for too long. In three seasons at USC, Williams averaged 3.27 seconds time to throw. (h/t Pro Football Focus)

Johnson helped push Lions quarterback Jared Goff, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, to his best professional seasons, and he must have the same impact on Williams.

If not, Williams could suffer the most. Based on Johnson’s expected salary, it would be hard for the franchise to swallow his massive buyout if things go sideways. It seems more likely that Johnson would get an opportunity with another quarterback if the union with Williams fails than being fired.

While landing Johnson might feel like a home run, there are concerns. As Florio wrote, “Johnson won’t be getting his own [general manager]. He’s also not getting any control over personnel.”

Johnson’s relationship with Bears general manager Ryan Poles is worth monitoring. Chicago is 15-36 in Poles’ three seasons as the team’s top front-office executive. He’s made numerous moves that have failed to improve the team, including
signing linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards in free agency, trading second–round picks for wide receiver Chase Claypool and edge Montez Sweat in consecutive years and acquiring wideout Keenan Allen for a fourth-round pick last offseason.

That sort of front-office ineptitude would likely cause some candidates to look elsewhere. It speaks to how coveted Williams is that he was enough to attract Johnson to the Bears. But unless the partnership yields playoff appearances in the coming seasons, it will likely be short-lived.

What Johnson’s hiring means for the Lions

History is working against Detroit after its one-and-done playoff run, but replacing Johnson makes matters even more tenuous. 

In January 2024, following the Lions’ NFC Championship Game loss to the 49ers, two-time First-Team All-Pro Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown spoke on an episode of the “St. Brown Brothers” podcast about Johnson’s decision to decline head-coaching opportunities last offseason to return to Detroit:

“I’m like, ‘So what’s up with you, you did an interview, like, are you leaving?'” St. Brown said on the podcast. “He’s like, ‘You know what, I’m on my way to the facility right now.’ He said he couldn’t sleep last night. He was thinking about it, and he said, ‘There’s unfinished business.’ He wants to stay.”

With the Lions’ early playoff exit, Johnson would still seem to have “unfinished business,” as St. Brown said, unless he believed Detroit had gone as far as it could. It might have.

The Lions became only the seventh team since 2011 to lose in the divisional round as the 1-seed. The Broncos were the only ones in that group to win a Super Bowl with their core after losing as their conference’s top seed, but even they fired head coach John Fox for Gary Kubiak before hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

With Detroit expected to replace both coordinators — defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is a finalist for the Jets and Saints coaching openings — it may have squandered its best chance of winning a Super Bowl.