We are just days away from one of the darkest days in the NFL, "Black Monday." It's a day Chicago Bears fans are highly familiar with, as several previous head coaches have been let go on this day in years past.
But, for the first time in franchise history, the Bears are finishing out the regular season after having fired their head coach. For weeks now, the organization has had a head start on preparing for the head coaching cycle after firing Matt Eberflus within the season.
That firing came a day after what may have been some serious foreshadowing, too, as the Bears botched an opportunity to beat the Detroit Lions. Those Lions just so happen to house maybe the top head coaching candidate for the Bears, too, in offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
For the past few weeks, Johnson has been unloading his playbook with countless trick plays almost as to seduce other NFL teams into paying him exactly what he wants in order to take a head coaching job this time around. Against the Bears, it was no different. Fans remember the "stumble" play well, as Johnson was just toying with the Bears at that point in the game.
While Johnson is atop many fans' wish list, he's also been mentioned by several insiders and experts as one to watch for the Bears job. It very well could happen.
Chase Daniel thinks Ben Johnson will be the next head coach of the Chicago Bears
Add former Bears quarterback Chase Daniel to that list, too. Daniel and The Athletic's Dianna Russini discussed some coaching tidbits on the latest episode of the Scoop City podcast, and just before closing it out, Daniel was given an opportunity to make his prediction.
"Ben Johnson is coaching which team (in 2025)?" Russini asked her co-host.
"Chicago Bears," Daniel responded.
There's been a lot of momentum behind Johnson to the Bears. We've heard and seen many insiders, columnists and sources tying the two together for weeks now. Could this actually be coming to fruition?
If not Johnson, the next best bet has to be former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. The two of them seem to be the top two candidates, at the moment, and it seems as though the Bears would surprise fans if neither of the two got the job.
Both Johnson and Vrabel seem to have different styles and strengths, but there is a world where either one of them help turn this franchise around. Who will it be? We might not have to wait that much longer as an interview window opens up virtually, for Johnson, in the coming days.