Despite a 4-3 start to 2024, Chicago Bears fans are beginning to put pressure on head coach Matt Eberflus. The 54-year-old is just 14-27 overall in his Bears tenure and saw the tension reach a boiling point after the team's devastating last-second loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 8.

As conversations with the Bears begin to migrate toward Eberflus' job security, NFL insider Albert Breer touched on the topic on ESPN Chicago's “Kap & J. Hood” radio show. The show hosts brought up Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who Breer said “definitely” considered taking the head coaching job with the Bears if Eberflus was fired.

“[Johnson] was definitely looking at the Chicago job last year,” Breer said. “There were some people who thought that was the one he wanted, but obviously, it didn't come open.”

Johnson, 38, has been with the Lions since 2019 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2022. After the team's offense took the league by storm in 2023, he was considered one of the top potential head coaching hires the following offseason but chose to return to the Lions.

Whether Johnson legitimately considered the Bears position or not, Eberflus was not fired in the 2024 offseason as the front office decided to give him a chance to work with No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and No. 9 overall pick Rome Odunze. Instead, the team hired new coordinators Shane Waldron and Eric Washington. Waldron replaced Luke Getsy while Washington filled a vacancy after Alan Williams resigned from the position during the 2023 season.

With the way he was viewed in the 2024 offseason, Johnson will likely be in high demand during the 2025 summer.

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The Bears' 2024 season is not a lost cause yet but they are currently last in the red-hot NFC North. Coming out of their bye week in Week 8, Chicago saw its three-game win streak end in Washington, D.C., but has a chance to rebound in Arizona in Week 9.

If they are not able to get back on track soon, Eberflus could be a name to watch on the hot seat. The leash has been historically short for head coaches in Chicago with no coach lasting more than four years in the last decade.

Eberflus' predecessor, Matt Nagy, was the longest-tenured Bears head coach since Love Smith's nine-year run. Both Nagy and Smith won Coach of the Year awards to extend their job security but faced heavy criticism by the end of their time. Smith also took Chicago to a Super Bowl in 2006 to make him one of their most successful coaches in franchise history.

Following Smith's firing in 2012, Marc Trestman and John Fox each lasted three years or less in office before Nagy was hired in 2018. Both had losing records with the team during their respective runs. Smith and Nagy are the only coaches of the 2000s to have an overall winning record with the Bears.

Should Eberflus get relieved of his duties, Johnson would likely be at the top of their list of potential hires.