Raiders vs. Bears: Which team is more attractive for Ben Johnson

Weighing several categories that could sway the big name head coach

The Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach search is in full swing and rumors are swirling that the Raiders are the favorites to land the most-coveted coach on the market, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. However, Las Vegas does have some competition as Johnson also interviewed with the Chicago Bears.

That has sparked some debate on X/Twitter about which organization is more attractive to Johnson. So, let’s dive into it and look at a few factors that could sway the offensive mastermind.

Quarterback

Advantage: Bears

While Caleb Williams had his faults and was a disappointment in 2024, the No. 1 overall pick still has plenty of talent that an offensive-minded head coach would want to work with. Plus, part of his issues can be chalked up to poor coaching as Matt Eberflus should have been fired last offseason. Additionally, Johnson was rumored to be interested in the Bears’ job a year ago if it became available and the opportunity to draft/work with Williams was likely a big factor in that.

Meanwhile, the most important position on the field is the biggest need in Las Vegas and the organization doesn’t have a clear path to get a new quarterback this offseason.

Ownership

Advantage: Raiders

Don’t get it wrong, Mark Davis has plenty of faults and hasn’t been able to get results on the field since taking over as principal owner in 2012. But the Halas/McCaskey family has owned the Bears since 1920 and has only won one Super Bowl (1985) since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Meanwhile, the Raiders have three thanks to Al Davis, and the Bears have been just as bad as the Raiders since Mark took over.

Also, Tom Brady’s presence changes the perception of Las Vegas’ ownership group. That’s already paid off as Brady is speculated to be one of the biggest reasons Johnson is even interested in pacing the sidelines of Allegiant Stadium.

General Manager

Advantage: Raiders

An argument could be made that Ryan Poles is a good or at least up-and-coming GM. He’s built a good roster with the Bears and was praised for getting a massive return from the Carolina Panthers in the trade for the 2023 No. 1 overall pick. Granted, he has lost some momentum with the latter given how Bryce Young and Williams finished this past season. Also, Poles owns an ugly 15-36 record in three seasons at the helm.

But what really gives the Raiders the nod here is that we’re looking at this from Johnson’s perspective. Johnson reportedly wants a say in who the general manager is for whatever team he’s coaching, and he can get that with the open position in Las Vegas. That should make the Silver and Black more attractive to him.

Current Roster

Advantage: Bears

Part of this goes hand-in-hand with the quarterback situation, but Chicago also has a talented defense led by Jaylon Johnson and Montez Sweat. Also, every starter on that side of the ball is under contract next season while six of the Raiders’ top defenders are impending free agents, including Tre’von Moehrig, Robert Spillane and Malcolm Koonce.

Offseason Assets

Advantage: Toss-up

Yeah, yeah, yeah, this is a cop-out. But a strong argument could be made for either team’s case.

Per Over The Cap, the Raiders ($92.5 million) do have the second-most cap space in the NFL but the Bears ($66 million) aren’t far behind with the seventh-most. Also, as mentioned above, Chicago doesn’t have as many holes to fill. Las Vegas has more picks in the 2025 NFL Draft—ten to eight—but both organizations own four top 100 selections and the Bears have two second-rounders with the Raiders owning a pair of picks in the third.

So, it’s hard to say that one team has a true advantage over the other in this department.

That leaves us with a 2-2 tie in the factors above, so it depends on how much weight/importance Johnson places on each category. Also, winters in Vegas sound a whole lot better than in The Windy City and no state income tax would be intriguing. I’m biased but I know which club I’d pick…