The Chicago Bears will look to defend their NFC North title in 2026 and one of the biggest advantages is the cohesion between quarterback Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson. After a lost rookie year where Williams struggled under Matt Eberflus, Johnson took over and helped Williams have a breakout year that set big expectations for the upcoming season.
While the Bears are enjoying that harmony, the same thing can’t be said for their rivals, the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings selected J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and gave him the chance to work with fellow quarterback guru Kevin O’Connell. But a video of a recent traffic stop involving former NFL insider Dianna Russini showed that the relationship could be deteriorating quickly.
In the bodycam video released by The Center Square’s Adam Herbets, Russini is trying to get out of a ticket for distracted driving by listing her credentials as an NFL reporter for The Athletic. During the conversation, the officer reveals he is a Vikings fan, which leads Russini to show him a text thread with O’Connell and potentially shed some light on his true feelings about McCarthy.
Russini: “Look what I said to him, though, just now. Go to the bottom.”
Officer: “Oh my god. Wow, pretty cool.”
Russini: “Dude, I love the Vikings. KOC’s awesome.”
Officer: “Yeah, he seems like a good dude.”
Russini: “Your quarterback sucks, though.”
Bears’ dynamic between Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams could give big advantage in NFC North
The text exchange between Russini and O’Connell isn’t visible on the screen, but there’s good reason to imply the discussion was about McCarthy.
In his first season as the Vikings starter, McCarthy posted a 6-4 record, but completed only 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Mix in ankle and hand injuries, a generational meme and a season-long firestorm, and it’s easy to see that McCarthy’s 2025 season was a disaster, but the Vikings have kept throwing signals that something may be wrong in the relationship between the young signal-caller and O’Connell.
The Vikings brought in Kyler Murray to compete with McCarthy for the starting job this season, but most signs are pointing to him being the favorite to win the competition during training camp. In addition, SI’s Albert Breer reported that the Vikings pursued Murray because they saw him as a potential multi-year option, which is another sign of what they think about McCarthy’s future.
While things didn’t start off on the right foot with Williams’s time in Chicago, he seems to have a much better relationship with Johnson. Williams threw for 3,942 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions for the Bears last season, and while his completion percentage dropped from 62.5 percent to 58.1 percent, it’s hard to argue with the results as Chicago went 11-6, won their first division title since 2018 and their first playoff game since 2010.
Read more: Clear argument was made for Caleb Williams being best QB in NFC North
With that in mind, Williams and Johnson are ready for an encore this upcoming season, and if anything, they can hang their hat on a relationship that has gone much smoother than the one McCarthy and O’Connell are having in Minnesota.
Add us as a preferred source on Google