Chicago Bears player questioned big staff decision Ben Johnson made

Thomas Brown enjoyed a quick rise up the coaching ranks of the Chicago Bears last season, and one player on the team wanted him to remain at Halas Hall in 2025.

Brown, 39, was hired in 2024 to be the Bears’ passing game coordinator under offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. He was promoted to offensive coordinator on Nov. 12 when Waldron was fired after the Bears managed to score 12 points in their last two games.

Thomas Brown received a quick promotion

The offense showed signs of improvement with Brown as the offensive coordinator, as the team scored 19 points against the Green Bay Packers, 27 points against the Minnesota Vikings, and 20 points against the Detroit Lions.

Following the Bears’ 23-20 loss to the Lions on Thanksgiving, Chicago fired head coach Matt Eberflus and promoted Brown to head coach.

Whether or not the end of the season was a trial run for Brown to try and earn the permanent gig, the Bears went 1-4 under Brown, only winning the final game of the season over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Following Week 18, Brown was not seen as a serious candidate to earn the permanent job, but some wondered if the new coaching staff would retain his services.

New head coach Ben Johnson kept tight ends coach Jim Dray and special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, and six other staffers. But Johnson chose not to retain Brown.

Tyson Bagent wanted the Chicago Bears to keep Brown

During an interview with Mark Carman of CHGO Bears, backup quarterback Tyson Bagent argued that Brown should have been given a job on Johnson’s staff, essentially questioning the new head coach’s decision for the staff this offseason.

“I think (Brown) would fit in very well with this staff that we have here,” Bagent said. “I think that he was, you know, business is business, have your shoes tied on straight when you walk in the door. You know, urgency, effort. He was big into that, which is the kind of guys that I usually have the most respect for.

“So I loved all of that about TB. I loved how he carried himself. And definitely, I think that that’s a guy that I think that we could have figured out a way to keep on the staff somewhere.”

Brown quickly found a job elsewhere.

Brown, who won Super Bowl LVI as an Assistant head coach & running backs coach with the Los Angeles Rams, took the passing game coordinator & tight ends coach job with the New England Patriots on first-year head coach Mike Vrabel’s staff.