By now, you've no doubt watched or listened to at least one of the many interviews with new Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson. After his hire was official, he made the local and national media rounds, and he has Bears' fans fired up for the improved product we hope to see on the field. But we wanted to learn more about what led Ben to the Bears. Our guy Bill Zimmerman scored an exclusive interview with Johnson's agent, Rick Smith from Priority Sports, and he gave the most transparent look at the process we may have ever seen.
Rick Smith explained how he appreciated the Bears' process and how different it is now compared to regimes past. Smith is an Illinois native, who grew up a Bears fan, so he's seen some things. But now, he's only seeing a first-class organization.
“I have to tell you, I've lived in this town my whole life. I was going to Bear Games as a little kid with my family. I've seen the old Bears. I've seen the dysfunctional Bears, Smith said on our Bears Banter podcast. "But this thing's changed, man. And if you're listening, if this is a Bear-centric podcast, which it is, let me be the guy that breaks the news to all the naysayers that this is the new Bears, 100%. And I absolutely give credit to Kevin Warren.”
Kevin Warren played a major part in recruiting Ben Johnson.
Team president and CEO Kevin Warren has done a lot of work behind the scenes to change the franchise's image. Kudos to Chairman George McCaskey for realizing he needed to step back and let his people run the team.
“And what I found in this process is there's a tremendous amount of self-awareness going on at Halas Hall," Smith said. "They understand the mistakes they've made.”
Smith also gets into the timeline, saying, "Ben made a decision Monday morning." Which was a couple of days after his Detroit Lions lost their playoff game. He said Johnson told him to "call the Bears and see if you can get a deal done."
So even though Johnson had some options, Smith said, “His [Johnson's] heart was with the Bears and he never wavered off that.”
The entire show is a must-listen. They get into what Smith and Johnson planted in the media. They discussed what they meant by general manager "alignment." Smith explains how Johnson and Ryan Poles will work together. He gets into the rumors about the Las Vegas Raiders and how he just let them run their course. They also discussed the whole interview process, the contract offer, and so much more.
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