According to reports from ESPN and NFL Network, Lions OC Ben Johnson is “intrigued” and “expected to interview” with the Chicago Bears this offseason.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has been a hot coaching candidate for a few seasons now and is expected to once again be coveted by multiple teams this offseason. According to a report from ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Johnson is “expected” to interview with the Chicago Bears, and per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Johnson is “intrigued” with what the organization has to offer.
The language surrounding both reports is purposely vague because Chicago can’t formally request to interview Johnson until the regular season concludes, but the implication is there that the two sides will eventually meet. Now, this is hardly shocking news and has been a rumor for months now, but these are the first reports where reporters are citing “sources” feeding them information.
In Pelissero’s report, he went into detail on some of the advantages the Bears organization offers that would be appealing to a possible head coaching candidate like Johnson.
“My understanding is: Johnson is intrigued by the Bears’ job and he is going to be willing to listen,” Pelissero reported. “There’s a lot to like in Chicago, with Caleb Williams, tons of cap space, extra draft resources. Also, a major market (and) they’re expected to break ground on a new stadium next year.”
While those are all certainly pluses, the Bears organization also has its fair share of drawbacks—just pick up any Chicago newspaper lately and they’ll highlight them for you.
In addition to Johnson, the Bears have also recently been connected to Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury (by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler), former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera (by The Athletic’s Dan Pompei), and former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel (CBS Sports Jonathan Jones), among others.
Settle in, this won’t be the first time Johnson—and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn—gets connected to potential upcoming interviews this offseason. This is all part of the territory with having a Super Bowl contending franchise.
