The Chicago Bears are casting a wide net as they look for their next head coach. But even as names get added to the search, one candidate is seen in a higher class than the rest.

Current Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is the favorite (+100) to be named next head coach of the Bears, via betonline.ag. Kliff Kingsbury is in second at +450 while Aaron Glenn and Brian Flores have identical +500 odds. Marcus Freeman (+700) and Mike Vrabel (+900) round out the top six.

Johnson is one of the most coveted coaches in the league, also seeing interest from teams like the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars. It's no surprised based on what he has transformed the Lions' offense into.

Detroit finished the regular season ranked second in total offense, averaging 409.5 yards per game. Their passing offense ranked second (263.9 YPG) while their rushing attack ranked sixth (146.4).

For Johnson to take on any head coaching role, he is going to need building blocks for a strong offense in place. The Bears have No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams to offer. His rookie season may not have blown everyone away. But there's a reason Williams went number one, and the quarterback will be Chicago's biggest selling point as they try to woo candidates to town.

Starting all 17 games as a rookie, Williams completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. He did a solid job of limiting turnovers, however, Williams was unable to reach his true ceiling as a passer.

Perhaps with a new offensive gameplan in place, Williams can truly be unleashed. And that's exactly what the Bears are hoping Ben Johnson can bring to the table. He helped Lions quarterback Jared Goff complete 72.4 percent of his passes for 4,629 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2024.

The Bears will have plenty of competition for Johnson. But right now, they're at the top of the list to actually acquire his services.