Lions OC Ben Johnson Sends Message on Bears QB Caleb Williams

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Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears looks on during warmups before the game against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field on December 22, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

If the Chicago Bears wind up interviewing Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for their head coaching vacancy during the 2025 offseason, they won’t need to ask him what he thinks about starting quarterback Caleb Williams.

Prior to Week 16’s game between the two franchises, Johnson fielded a question about Williams during his weekly press conference and couldn’t contain his smile when he spoke about the Bears’ rookie quarterback and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft.

“There’s no question this guy is talented,” Johnson said with a smile. “I remember standing on the sideline last game, and you can hear the ball whistle by you. He’s got quite a fastball and has some creativity to him. Can extend plays and is accurate down the field as well.”

Johnson’s comments are bound to pique the interest of Bears fans begging the team to hire — or, at the very least, strongly consider — him as their next head coach. He has built a reputation as one of the NFL’s top young offensive play-callers over the past four seasons with the Lions, including three as their offensive coordinator (2022-24).

If the Bears can hire Johnson, his pairing with Williams could create the foundation for a high-octane passing offense that Chicago has been lacking for many years, especially with other weapons — D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet — already in place.

The question now is: How heavily will the Bears prioritize Johnson in their search?

Ben Johnson Expected to Interview for Bears’ HC Job

The Bears have not begun interviewing candidates for their head coach position, largely because many of the best candidates — including Johnson — cannot accept interviews with teams seeking head coaches until after the 2024 regular season ends in January.

That said, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported during Week 16’s Monday Night Football pregame that he expects the Bears will interview Johnson along with other offensive-minded head coaching candidates in the coming months as they look to find the right fit to maximize the talents of Williams — who has shown special qualities as a rookie.

“They’re going to go on a search to find a partner for Caleb Williams because he becomes the most important asset that they have right now to sell to a coach,” Schefter said on December 23.

Johnson’s popularity, however, could create problems for the Bears in their pursuit.

Johnson should draw interest from multiple head-coach-seeking franchises during the 2025 hiring cycle. He interviewed with five teams — and declined an interview with a sixth — during last winter’s hiring period for the 2024 season. While Johnson ultimately decided to return to the Lions in 2024, he sounds more ready to make the leap in 2025.

“I’d say I’m much more prepared than I was the last two years,” Johnson said earlier in December. “Now that I’ve been through the wringer a couple times, had some interviews, I certainly do feel more prepared, just from a big-picture standpoint.”

The Bears have a quarterback and resources (draft capital and cap space) to appeal to a candidate like Johnson, but so, too, do other teams seeking their next “leader of men.”

Did Ben Johnson Put His Creativity on Display for Bears?

Bears general manager Ryan Poles has now had an opportunity to watch Johnson’s creative play-calling tendencies at least six times in person over the past three years, but Johnson did something in Week 16’s latest matchup that seemed — to some — to speak directly to Poles, team president Kevin Warren and the rest of the Bears’ brass.

Early in the third quarter of Sunday’s game, the Lions perfectly executed a trick play that included a fake stumble from quarterback Jared Goff and a deceptive dive to the ground for a fake fumble from running back Jahmyr Gibbs. The play resulted in a few Bears defenders biting on the deception and Goff tossing a 21-yard touchdown pass.

What stands out most is what seems to have inspired Johnson to craft such a deceitful play. The play bears a striking resemblance to one the Green Bay Packers ran against the Bears during the 2023 season, in which quarterback Jordan Love unintentionally fumbled the snap and then recovered to find a wide-open Luke Musgrave near the end zone down the right sideline. Just look at a side-by-side comparison of the two plays.

Now, Johnson might have just found a weakness to exploit in the Bears defense, but it is also possible that he took an opportunity to showcase his film-study skills and play-calling creativity in front of the Bears’ front office that could interview him next month.