New Chicago Bears' head coach Ben Johnson is being paid as if he is one of the best coaches in the NFL.
While the Bears haven't released the official contract details for Johnson's deal, the expectation is the first-time head coach is making around $13MM per season. It goes without saying that the Bears are paying Johnson to have an influence on the entire organization including personnel moves.
That influence may already be on display.
On Friday, the Bears inked former Detroit Lions wide receiver Maurice Alexander to a reserve-future deal.
Alexander has spent his entire NFL career with the Lions. Between 2022 and 2024, Alexander would split time between the Lions' Practice Squad and Active Roster. Used mostly as a return specialist when he was active, Alexander only has 1 catch in his career for a total of 7 yards.
Between now and the start of free agency, there likely will be several deals of this nature for the Bears as they prepare their roster for training camp.
Ben Johnson is already impacting Chicago Bears' signings.
Alexander likely will be nothing more than a Training Camp body for the Bears, but given his experience in Johnson's offense, he could be a key voice in practice as thew Bears' head coach installs his offense.
It will be interesting to see who the wide receiver shapes up under Johnson's watch. As of now, it seems that Keenan Allen is more likely to return to Los Angeles than sign back with the Bears. While Allen has expressed a desire to remain with the Bears, the money may be better spent on the offensive line. Even with Allen's departure, the Bears have a strong wide receiver core headed by DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. Given Johnson's preference for wide receivers with speed, Tyler Scott may have new life in the Bears' offense.