Bears Make Head Coaching Decision That Will Finally Give Fans Hope For The Future

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Ryan Poles Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are licking their wounds from yet another season of under-accomplishment.

A generational talent in rookie QB, Caleb Williams; a receiving corps bristling with weapons in DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and #9 overall pick, Rome Odunze; and a defense that was firmly on the rise, having seen great improvement since the 2023 mid-season acquisition of edge rusher, Montez Sweat – the expectation was the playoffs.

Skip forward 8 months and the Bears finish 5-12, and in doing so finish with just the 10th overall pick – due to the uncommon amount of poor teams this past season – and part ways with head coach, Matt Eberflus.

After an extended head coaching search, during which the team completed interviews with a whopping 16 candidates – and more scheduled, the team has now announced their new head coach, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson – per Jordan Schultz.

BREAKING: The #Bears are hiring #Lions OC Ben Johnson as their new HC, multiple sources tell @NFLonFOX. pic.twitter.com/H60FFjaylI

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 20, 2025

Ben Johnson Announced As The New Head Coach Of The Chicago Bears

Up until 2pm EST, Johnson was very much an auxiliary candidate for the Chicago Bears, with many believing he was more likely to choose Las Vegas as his next destination.

In fact, traders on Polymarket had his probability of being the Bears’ next head coach at just over 10% at 1pm EST on Monday.

However, the tide started to turn as day rolled further into the afternoon, with multiple reports coming out that Chicago was Ben Johnson’s first-choice destination.

Developing: There are league sources who now believe Ben Johnson is deeply considering the head coach vacancy with the Chicago #Bears, per league sources.

Nothing is official or ever done until it’s done!

We’ll have to wait and see which team Johnson formally decides on.… pic.twitter.com/KmvzzkJ9rK

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 20, 2025

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Who Were The Other Main Candidates For The Chicago Bears

Mike McCarthy was a big name swinging around for the Bears as a stable, been-there-done-that, culture-setting candidate. And in theory it could have been a good appointment given the Bears’ historic dysfunction, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, and McCarthy’s impressive success with multiple franchises.

Defensive coordinators, Anthony Weaver and Brian Flores were also both prime candidates for Bears GM Ryan Poles and Team President, Kevin Warren – with Poles particularly keen on Dolphins DC, Weaver.

However, the decision has been made, and Johnson is the pick.

Bears Fans Happy To Finally Have An Offensive-Minded Head Coach To Support Caleb Williams

The #1 priority for the Bears will unquestionably be how to maximize the vast potential of last year’s first overall pick, Caleb Williams. Williams showed excellent promise and generally solid play, with flashes of brilliance scattered in, during what was an up-and-down rookie season.

Consequently, Bears fans are pretty excited about the decision.

all of chicago right now pic.twitter.com/sdinJRkVLc

— kaleb (@wokkrr) January 20, 2025

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pic.twitter.com/RYzrQJRW5O

— Joey Numbers (@realHardEight) January 20, 2025

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Bears fans right now: pic.twitter.com/8BaKcIP1Sg

— Caesars Sportsbook & Casino (@CaesarsSports) January 20, 2025

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And now with a coach deemed to be one of the finest offensive minds in the entire NFL, the former USC and Oklahoma star will have his best chance to succeed – and finally give Chicago the 4000 yard passer they have been waiting over a century for.