The Chicago Bears' search for a new head coach extended to nearly 20 candidates, with many questioning the process the team embarked on to find the head coach who would be in charge of overseeing the development of quarterback Caleb Williams.
Once Matt Eberflus was fired as the head coach following the Bears' Thanksgiving day game against the Detroit Lions, it was clear that Lions' offensive coordinator Ben Johnson would be the perfect candidate. Johnson's work with Jared Goff over the last three seasons had many Bears fans dreaming about the success he could have with Williams.
What complicated matters for the Bears is that the Lions were the primary Super Bowl contender in the NFC. Given the new NFL rules surrounding interviewing coaching candidates who are employed by playoff teams. the initial belief was that the Bears would need to be prepared to wait until February to make a hiring official. In addition, if the Lions advanced to the NFC championship game. the Bears would not have been able to interview Johnson in person until the final week of January.
That is why the Bears wasted no time after the Lions' surprising loss on Saturday night. The Bears interviewed Eddie George on Sunday, making them compliant with the NFL's Rooney Rule. The interview of George cleared the way for the news of the day on Monday, the Bears officially hiring Johnson.
Johnson was always the top candidate the Bears wanted for their head coach opening. Beyond that, Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Reports notes that the Bears were always the team that Johnson wanted to land with.
The #Bears always had Ben Johnson as their top guy, and Johnson was very intrigued by Chicago all along.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 20, 2025
Chicago was the early favorite and it ends up happening. Johnson to Chicago. A new era begins. https://t.co/5fHoTppiUK
Ben Johnson was always going to be the man for the Chicago Bears' head coach opening.
Despite all the criticism of the Bears' approach, the fact remains their process was sound and resulted in the team landing the prized candidate of this offseason's hiring cycle. For an organization with a history of missteps, the hiring of Johnson feels like a step in the right direction.