The Chicago Bears have become an easy target during the first week of their head coaching search, and they only have themselves to blame. Their ever-expanding list of candidates screams disorganization, but when all is said and done, hiring the right coach might not come down to whether the Bears really know what they're doing.
Instead, the Bears might attract the best available head coaching candidate in the 2025 hiring cycle simply because they're the Bears. The organization's history and tradition, combined with the city of Chicago and the ascending roster led by quarterback Caleb Williams, make the job an easy sell.
According to Sports Illustrated's recent prediction of which coach each NFL team with an opening will hire, that easy sell for the Chicago Bears lands the belle of the ball in Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
"I think Johnson is going to have a lot of options, and the news of the Las Vegas Raiders clearing the decks at general manager is certainly worth noting here.," wrote Conor Orr. "Having an opportunity to coach outside of the NFC North would probably appeal to Johnson, though we know more about Chicago at the QB position than Las Vegas. That was my determining factor, though the Raiders moved up not only my overall rankings following the move at general manager but also on my Ben Johnson radar."
The Raiders have become a surprising competitor for the Bears in their effort to land Johnson, but any reasonable football mind would view Chicago's current trajectory as being much more favorable to a coach like Johnson than Las Vegas.
The Bears have Williams, several quality skill players, a strong core on defense, the fifth-most salary cap space to spend in 2025 NFL free agency, and three of the top 50 picks in the NFL Draft.
You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that the Bears are looking good.
The Chicago Bears completed their first interview with Ben Johnson on Saturday, and there's no doubt there will be more.
It's beginning to feel like the Johnson sweepstakes are now down to the Bears and Raiders. The New England Patriots are already engaging in contract negotiations with Mike Vrabel, and the Jacksonville Jaguars' refusal to terminate GM Trent Baalke is likely a deal breaker for Johnson.
