There are no complaints about the Chicago Bears hiring Ben Johnson. The Bears hired the most sought-after coach of this hiring cycle. There's a lot of hope right now. And Bears fans should be happy the team didn't hire Mike McCarthy, who interviewed for the job in January.
Simply put, Johnson was the right hire. His resume speaks for itself. He has the energy, leadership, and youthful exuberance that this team desperately needs after last season. Johnson might actually be the coach to turn things around in the Windy City.
Passing on Mike McCarthy was the right move for the Chicago Bears.
The key difference between Johnson and McCarthy is time and age. Would you rather have a young coach who is ready, or a coach who is on his way toward retirement? Hiring McCarthy would've been John Fox all over again. Meanwhile, Johnson is ready for his first head coaching gig.
During his three-year tenure with the Detroit Lions, Johnson had the herculean task of turning around one of the worst franchises in NFL history. Johnson, along with head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, managed to turn the Lions into winners.
In the process, Johnson built a prolific offense in Detroit. Last season, the Lions led the league in scoring with 564 points, per StatMuse. That's the fourth most of all time. The only teams to score more are the 2013 Denver Broncos, 2007 New England Patriots, and 2018 Kansas City Chiefs. Johnson accomplished this with a star cast, including Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Sam LaPorta to name just a few.
Prior to Johnson's arrival, the Lions hadn't enjoyed three winning seasons in a row since Barry Sanders was on the team (1993-1995). From 2022-2024, the Lions had a winning record in each season, went to the NFC title game, and won back-to-back NFC North division titles.
Regardless of Johnson's accomplishments, the most important one was building a winning culture in Detroit. The general consensus is that Johnson will build something similar in Chicago.
In other news, McCarthy recently announced he won't be coaching in 2025 after a falling out with Dallas Cowboys that led to Brian Schottenheimer, his offensive coordinator, replacing him.