Ben Johnson has been a hot name since before the Chicago Bears head coaching carousel began. Rumors indicated he was interested in the job as far back as last January. Johnson knew the team held the #1 overall pick and would likely draft Caleb Williams. Johnson is a big fan of the former USC star. Unfortunately, Chicago opted to give head coach Matt Eberflus another year. As a result, Johnson opted to stay in Detroit. Now, Eberflus is gone, and the job is available. Could everything come together?
The past week has suggested it wouldn’t be the case. Many around the league felt the Las Vegas Raiders, led by part-owner Tom Brady, were making a strong push to lure Johnson. They’re even interviewing a GM candidate with direct ties to him. However, two prominent insiders have changed the outlook of this situation. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports started it by saying there is a “lot of talk” about Johnson and Chicago. Then Josina Anderson, who is notorious for not giving many details, dropped a bombshell stating Johnson is “deeply considering” the position.
Ben Johnson has likely known where he’s going for some time.
That doesn’t mean he was going to make a rash decision. He met with the three teams that interested him: Chicago, Las Vegas, and Jacksonville. The Jaguars likely fell out of the race early because of their refusal to fire embattled GM Trent Baalke. The Raiders have money, Brady, and a vacant GM spot. Unfortunately, they also have no quarterback and sit in arguably the league’s toughest division. Chicago has been plagued by dysfunction of their own, but they have Williams. He had a solid year despite atrocious issues around him. The team has talent at several spots. A good coach could make them a playoff contender almost immediately. If Ben Johnson takes the job, that will be why.
