Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears have been linked together as a possible connection for the team’s next head coach for quite some time. The official interview for the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator is set for Saturday, but Johnson has more than just one organization that he is scheduled to talk to.
The Chicago Bears will compete with three teams for Ben Johnson
A report from Jordan Schultz on X revealed when Johnson will interview with the Chicago Bears and Jaguars. Before he speaks with them, he will also meet with the Patriots and Raiders on Friday. The Las Vegas job recently opened up after they fired Antonio Pierce on Tuesday.
Per Schultz, Johnson will interview with the Bears on Saturday.
“Sources: LionsOC Ben Johnson — the top candidate in this year’s cycle — is scheduled to interview with four teams and has set up virtual meetings as follows: – Raiders & Patriots on Friday – Bears & Jaguars on Saturday,” Schultz wrote.
Sources: #Lions OC Ben Johnson — the top candidate in this year’s cycle — is scheduled to interview with four teams and has set up virtual meetings as follows:
– Raiders & Patriots on Friday
– Bears & Jaguars on Saturday pic.twitter.com/qO1VZKCZSl
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 8, 2025
Based on resources and each team’s current roster, the Raiders could be seen as a longshot to bring in the highly regarded offensive guru. The one thing that they could use as leverage is having Tom Brady as a part of their ownership group. Brady could look to try and pry Mike Vrabel from the Patriots as their front-runner by recruiting him to Vegas, so that situation is entirely up in the air at the moment.
With New England, Johnson could see the attraction there based on Drake Maye’s potential alone. Maye has the ability to be a special NFL quarterback and if Vrabel does indeed get swooped up by Vegas, that would free up the Patriots to go after Johnson with all that they have.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are the Bears competition for Johnson
The Jaguars are in a very similar situation to the Chicago Bears. There were rumblings that Johnson and his camp might not have been fully comfortable taking the job in Jacksonville based on the job security of their general manager, Trent Baalke.
This was the exact same report that came out with the Bears and general manager Ryan Poles. With both executives keeping their roles, it appears that the rumor from Johnson’s camp was a pure smoke screen if he is taking interviews with each franchise on Saturday.
Plenty of other candidates are on deck for the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have already announced a plethora of options that they will talk to for their head coaching vacancy. Pete Carroll will officially meet with the front office on Thursday to interview for the role. The former Super Bowl-winning head coach with the Seattle Seahawks brings previous experience leading an NFL team that Johnson does not have.
Along with Carroll, Drew Petzing from the Arizona Cardinals will speak with Poles and CEO Kevin Warren. Petzing just completed his second season as the offensive coordinator down in the desert and has quickly soared through the NFL coaching ranks to become an attractive candidate in this hiring cycle.
Another offensive mind that the Bears will interview is offensive coordinator Joe Brady with the Buffalo Bills. It was announced on Tuesday that the team formally requested an interview and Brady is another figure in the league that has had success working with elite quarterbacks Josh Allen and Joe Burrow (at LSU).
When it comes down to making the final decision for the Chicago Bears brass, Caleb Williams is the key individual to keep in mind. Whoever they believe can tap into his potential the best should be the candidate who lands the job and hopefully leads this team to glory.
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