You had to figure that there were going to be some rumors connecting Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears head coach vacancy with the Lions in town visiting Soldier Field in Week 16.
And if you were one of those waiting for that buzz to pick up, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero is here to fuel that fire on a cold winter morning:
The Insiders on @NFLGameDay with @MikeGarafolo and @TomPelissero: #Seahawks QB Geno Smith and RB Ken Walker II are both good to go today; #Ravens WR Diontae Johnson will find out Monday at 4 pm if he’s claimed; #Lions OC Ben Johnson is intrigued by the #Bears HC vacancy. pic.twitter.com/862mfQvFNO
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 22, 2024Here is a transcription of what Pelissero had to say this morning:
“My understanding is Johnson is intrigued by the Bears job and he is going to be willing to listen. There’s a lot to like in Chicago with Caleb Williams, tons of cap space, extra draft resources, also a major market. They’re expected to break ground on a new stadium next year. Team President Kevin Warren has a lot of connections around the league from his several decades in pro and college football. That’s allowed them to get a jump start on the search process gathering background as part of what is expected to be a thorough search led by Warren and GM Ryan Poles.”
Well, that is a spicy meatball for your Sunday morning consumption!
Obsessive Ben Johnson watch is ON
There is a lot to digest in such a short snippet, but I’ll try to squeeze in the most important takeaways in bullet form below:
For starters, we can add Tom Pelissero to the list of league insiders who seem to believe that Bears GM Ryan Poles is safe. Yes, things can change between now and when the head coach search kicks into the next gear after the regular season ends. But for right now, it seems as if the plan is for Chicago’s football team to go into this with Poles and Warren working together. Next, I like how Pelissero lays out the things the Bears have going for them as they enter this hiring cycle. Having Caleb Williams quarterbacking this thing moving forward seems like a strong selling point, as are the cap space numbers ($82 million+ per OverTheCap), and the draft picks (projected to have four in the top 75) at Chicago’s disposal.BEARS HEAD COACH CANDIDATE PROFILE: Ben Johnson
Uhhh … let’s not overlook Pelissero casually mentioning that the Bears are expected to break ground on a new stadium in 2025. That one-liner probably deserves its own post tomorrow. I think it is worth pointing out that Pelissero notes Warren’s connections around the league (which date back to 1997 when he was with the St. Louis Rams) as a positive and as being helpful in getting the ball rolling on this process. I hope it pays off.It is a challenge to squeeze in the most pertinent stuff in a Ben Johnson post with about an hour left before kickoff. However, I think we got the most important anecdotes here. Make main takeaway from the video above is that we have yet another league insider connecting the Bears and one of the NFL’s top coaching prospects. Tom Pelissero joining fellow league reporters Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter saying that Ben Johnson has an interest in the Bears job isn’t something we should overlook.
We’ll have more on this story as it develops. And I fully expect more stories to pop up because I doubt that this is the last we’ll hear of Ben Johnson-Bears rumors. It feels like just the beginning.
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