Everything could be lining up for the Chicago Bears to hire Ben Johnson as their next head coach, just as many fans are hoping for.
Chicago has interviewed several candidates and they are definitely casting a "wide net" as has been discussed lately. But, some of the top names very well could be off the table for the Bears -- all except for Johnson.
Pete Carroll recently interviewed for the Las Vegas Raiders job and appears to be in contention, there, which would make Bears fans mostly happy to see him not end up in Chicago. But, Carroll wasn't necessarily deemed to be in the top two for the Chicago job.
The top two remain Johnson along with Mike Vrabel, who is also a popular candidate for other franchises.
Johnson and Vrabel seem to be the consensus top two candidates not only for Chicago, but also for the New England Patriots. It very well could be the Bears and Patriots battling it out for Johnson, if he ends up being the most-desired coach for both teams.
On Saturday, though, ESPN's Adam Schefter gave some life to Johnson coming to Chicago by process of potential elimination. Before the NFL's Wild Card Weekend kicked off, Schefter reported some of his latest intel on the coaching carousel and had some pretty telling words when it came to Vrabel.
The stars may be aligning for the Chicago Bears to hire Ben Johnson as their next head coach
"Most people around the league believe Vrabel remains the favorite for the Patriots job ... Vrabel obviously has a close relationship with the franchise," Schefter reported.
This makes a ton of sense, as Vrabel of course spent plenty of time in New England as a player. His experience coaching the Tennessee Titans certainly gives him a strong pedigree and reasoning why he should become a head coach once more.
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If Vrabel indeed goes to New England, that could leave just Chicago and Jacksonville as the top spots for Johnson. And, when it comes to the Jaguars, the fact they kept Trent Baalke seems to be a huge red flag for a coach like Johnson.
You might be able to cross Jacksonville off the list of teams for Johnson.
Meanwhile, the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints are likely already out of the running for Johnson (the simple fact of having a long-term quarterback solution takes them out of the conversation).
Whether or not the Raiders hire Carroll doesn't matter. Las Vegas isn't an ideal spot for Johnson, so take them out of the equation as well.
Do the simple math, and Johnson seems poised to become the next head coach of the Bears.
This truly could be happening.