Once the Jacksonville Jaguars fumbled the ball by refusing to fire Trent Baalke immediately, most felt the Chicago Bears were in the driver’s seat for Ben Johnson. It made sense. They had a talented roster, cap space, draft picks, and a young quarterback the coach seemed to like. However, things took a drastic turn when reports surfaced that the Raiders, led by new part-owner Tom Brady, were spearheading an effort to lure Johnson to Las Vegas. At one point in time, the entire national media were convinced he was going there.
Then, 48 hours after the Detroit Lions were eliminated from the playoffs, Johnson signed with the Bears. So what the hell happened?
Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron spoke with the coach’s agent, Rick Smith, about how the process unfolded. He revealed some incredible details. It turns out he and Johnson never really considered Las Vegas a viable landing spot. However, Brady’s aggressive pitch convinced them to at least take an interview. As for the media blitz, Smith admitted he didn’t bother trying to downplay it since it only served to help his client’s market.
Nobody should blame Ben Johnson for using his leverage.
Smith knew that letting the Raiders buzz grow would make other teams interested in Johnson nervous, inevitably driving up the price of his services. This is how players do it all the time. It is the price of doing business. The Bears knew they couldn’t risk letting money get in the way of getting their guy, so they made sure to put an offer on the table that Ben Johnson and his agent would find acceptable. Rumors are it’s somewhere around $13 million per year, which is by far the most a first-time head coach has ever received. This is a great peek behind the curtain at how agents treat rumors. They assess which ones are harmful and which can be beneficial and react accordingly. It is another reminder of how much of an impact the media can have on negotiations.
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