The Chicago Bears are getting played by one of their top head coach candidates.
Have you noticed that in each of the last two hiring cycles, reporters have been able to tell us seemingly everything Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is thinking?
It could be that the top insiders all have great sources close to Johnson that are willing to leak them information at Johnson's expense.
Or, Ben Johnson himself (perhaps through his agent) is giving that information to insiders intentionally to create more leverage for the up-and-coming coach as he's courted for head coaching opportunities.
In the last week, different insiders have reported strong interest for Johnson from the Bears, Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars.
On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeff Darlington reported that Ben Johnson "has his eyes squarely on" the Jaguars head coach opening.
On that same day, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said that Johnson is the Raiders' leading candidate and "there's a lot of people who think, frankly, he's getting it."
Then on Friday, ESPN's Adam Schefter pumped the breaks and told the Pat McAfee Show that the Bears are still in the mix and Johnson is far from decided
Is it possible that multiple, highly credible insiders all got bad information about Johnson?
Or is it more likely that Johnson wants each team to think they're falling behind so they'll offer him a better deal to become their next head coach?
Johnson's camp has been very forthcoming with information throughout the hiring process, even dating back to last year when he interviewed with the Washington Commanders before changing his mind.
On one hand, it shows that he and his agent are adapt at working the media to accomplish their goals, which could be a positive trait for a head coach to know how to control a message.
On the other hand, a team could worry that Johnson is too loose with his information and could risk problems for his own team if he lets too much out to the media.
The lesson is to not put too much stock in any individual report about Johnson until he's hired by a team. Until then, everything else is just leverage.
