After what seemed like a long, confusing road in their latest head coaching search, the Chicago Bears have made it official.
Ben Johnson is the new head coach in Chicago.
Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Bears are finalizing a deal to bring Johnson to Chicago as the Bears' new head coach.
A new day in Chicago: The #Bears are finalizing a deal to hire Ben Johnson as their head coach, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 20, 2025
Johnson is set to fly there soon and contract parameters are in place. Barring a last-minute snag, the #Lions OC lands with an NFC North rival. pic.twitter.com/Y1i4lRtpw5
After long wanting the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, fans got their wish and Chicago gets the top head coaching candidate available.
It feels like a dream come true for many fans as this city has seen a disappointing trend continue for years on end. No longer is this organization going the boring route, but general manager Ryan Poles finally opted to buck the trend and go with the best available candidate.
The era of the Matt Eberfluses, Matt Nagys and John Foxes is over. The book has been emphatically closed on that era.
After recent updates brought even more fuel to the fire, it finally happened.
The Bears' head coaching search was unconventional but Ryan Poles made the right decision when it mattered
The Bears made this as painful and confusing as possible for the fan base. We saw names like Drew Petzing, Pete Carroll, Mike McCarthy, Marcus Freeman, even Eddie George, among others, interviewed for this job.
However, after just one virtual interview with Johnson, there was no need to bring him back in for a second, in-person conversation. The Bears had seen and heard enough out of Johnson to know he was their guy.
Johnson comes to Chicago as one of the brightest offensive minds this league has seen in quite some time. After becoming the Lions offensive coordinator in 2022, he helped quarterback Jared Goff flip the script on his career and completely revive what some thought was a lost cause.
The Lions' offense finished this past season as the league's top scoring offense, putting up over 33 points per game over the course of the 2024 season.
Johnson was apparently said to be interviewing this week, in person with the Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders were even seemingly ahead in this race as of some recent reports.
But, the Bears got it done. Johnson is your new head coach in Chicago, and quarterback Caleb Williams will undoubtedly be thrilled with the decision.