Bears Turn Focus to AFC Mastermind Coach Amid Ben Johnson Rumors

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Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson of the Detroit Lions looks on before the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 22, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bears are shifting focus to another offensive-minded candidate in their head-coaching search amid rumors about the Las Vegas Raiders’ pursuit of highly sought-after Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Bears will hold a virtual interview with Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken about their head-coaching vacancy on Friday, January 17, after he interviews with Jacksonville on Thursday night.

“Monken was one of the names that Chicago discussed early on in their research, so he’s been on that radar for a while,” Breer wrote Thursday on X.

Monken, 58, is not currently eligible to take in-person interviews as the Ravens are still alive in the postseason race, but he could be available as soon as next week if Baltimore loses to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC divisional round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday.

The Bears will likely use their virtual meeting on Friday to determine if they should give Monken a callback interview during the second phase of their head-coaching search. As of January 16, they had completed interviews with 12 different candidates for the job, including an in-person interview with ex-Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.

Todd Monken Has Strong Track Record in Baltimore

Monken has built a reputation as one of the AFC’s top offensive masterminds in his post with the Ravens over the past two seasons. He touted the No. 4 scoring offense and No. 6 total offense in the NFL in 2023 and helped guide quarterback Lamar Jackson to his second career MVP. He then oversaw the league’s top total offensive unit in 2024, one that helped the Ravens win the AFC North for a second consecutive regular season.

Before joining the Ravens in 2023, Monken also experienced a great deal of success at the college level in his three seasons as the Georgia Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The Bulldogs won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022 and touted top-10 offenses in both seasons with Monken leading the charge.

The biggest questions Monken will have to answer are about his development plan for quarterback Caleb Williams. The Bears are making Williams — the No. 1 pick in 2024 — the focal point of their search and are believed to want an offensive-minded coach who can take him under his wing and maximize his talents.

Monken must sell the Bears on how he plans to do that; though, he does have 36 years of coaching experience in the college and NFL to lean on when crafting his sales pitch.

Rumors Persist About Ben Johnson & Las Vegas Raiders

The Bears have scheduled their interview with Monken amid league-wide chatter about the connection between Johnson — a top candidate this hiring cycle — and the Raiders. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Raiders are “enamored” with Johnson as a fit for their head-coaching job after interviewing him virtually on January 10.

There is also the Tom Brady of it all. The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed reported that Brady — the team’s new minority owner — will have a say in whom the Raiders hire as their next head coach and has been doing vetting on Johnson since Week 9. He also played “an instrumental role in Johnson taking a virtual interview with the Raiders.”

That could create problems for the Bears if they consider Johnson their top candidate. According to Fox Sports insider Jordan Schultz, the Bears’ coaching job has become a “two-horse race” between McCarthy and Johnson heading into the divisional round, but there is little they can do — except try harder — if the Raiders manage to wow Johnson.

At least they have an interview in place with Monken to diversify their candidate pool.