The media has swung back and forth on Ben Johnson like a pendulum, trying to figure out where the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator might go to become a head coach. Some thought it was a race between the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars. Then the Las Vegas Raiders parachuted out of nowhere to suddenly become the odds-on favorite. Now, even that narrative has shifted once again. The truth is nobody knows where he’s going. It’s been admitted his camp has been remarkably tight-lipped about it.
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In such cases, the only thing to do is follow the breadcrumbs. A big one just dropped on Friday when it was revealed that Johnson had signed with agent Rick Smith of Priority Sports. On the surface, that may not seem like news. Coaches always find representation when hitting the market. However, the important part comes from who he chose to hire.
Smith is not Trace Armstrong, which is an important first point. Beyond that, it is worth noting he is an Illinois native. He lives in Highland Park and obtained degrees from both Illinois and Northwestern. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but come on. A hot coaching prospect who’s been connected to the Bears by multiple insiders for months happens to sign with an agent with strong ties to Chicago. That is impossible to shrug off as nothing.
Priority Sports also has Steve Kerr and Mike Kafka as clients. Kerr has deep ties to Chicago from his years with the Bulls. Kafka was a quarterback at Northwestern and just so happened to interview for the head coaching job this past week. Olin Kreutz also had them as agents during his career. This doesn’t guarantee Johnson is coming to the Bears. It’s merely interesting that the representation he chose happens to have deep roots in the city his name has been most connected to over the past month.
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It could end up being a false alarm. Yet people are smart enough to know things like this, which usually indicates something is going on. If Ben Johnson ends up with the Bears at some point in the next few weeks, this will have been the first real sign it was true.
