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There's a ton that goes into being a head coach at any level of football, but being an NFL head coach is next-level stuff. There are only 32 of those jobs for a reason, and it's a big deal to be amongst that fraternity. New Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is about to find that out. He's not just the new head coach of the Bears, but he's basically the CEO of the franchise.
The actual CEO in Chicago is technically Kevin Warren, and, of course, there's General Manager Ryan Poles, but when push comes to shove, this whole show revolves around Johnson. Well, him and the quarterback, 2024's No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams.
Any success the Bears will have is going to be credited to that duo, and Johnson is going to get the most credit because it will be his “offensive mastermind” brand that will have allowed Williams to take the next step in year two and ascend to star status amongst his NFL peers. Any failures for both Williams and the Bears as a whole are going to be placed on Johnson's shoulders as well, though.
That's part of the gig, and that's also why Chicago is paying Johnson what Courtney Cronin of ESPN is reporting is believed to be $13 million per year compared to the $6 million that they paid to the last guy in charge: Matt Eberflus.
They're paying him, in part, not just because of his status as an offensive genius but because they believe he can effectively lead their franchise. That's what Johnson said he'd be able to do, at least, after his introductory press conference. It's not just about being the offensive-minded guy.
“Listen, it's no secret that I was being portrayed as an offensive guru,” Johnson told a gaggle of reporters, according to Adam Jahns of The Athletic. “Whether I was quality control, position coach, tight end coach, receivers coach, coordinator, I'm whatever the job requires me to be. And so that's where I really wanted to let those people know on every call that I had that there was more substance than maybe I articulated in any media session or what you might see on the sideline.”
Ben Johnson's job starts with Caleb Williams, but it's more than that
That's step No. 1 for Johnson over these next few months. Yes, his ultimate goal will be to develop Williams into the best quarterback he can be, and as an impact of that, there's the hope that he can build the type of explosive and exciting offense that he led as offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. There's so much more to it, though. Now, not only will Johnson be in charge of the offense, but everything that happens on defense and special teams has to go through his headset and be approved as well. The whole game is now under his control, and that's something he's never had to do before.
He's been an assistant through every one of his stops in the NFL. And yes, it's extremely impressive how he's been able to climb up the ladder in such a short amount of time. For instance, he went from an offensive quality control coach in Detroit in 2019 to a tight ends coach in 2020-21, to passing game coordinator in 2021, to offensive coordinator of the NFL's most explosive offense for what quickly became a Super Bowl contender Lions team in short order.
That's the type of career growth that lends one to believe that Johnson is the real deal, but being a head coach at the NFL level is not an internship, and these guys don't get a ton of time or wiggle room to learn on the job. Johnson will get a long leash in 2025, but he's been brought in and paid well to perform at a high level from the jump.
Can he do it? That's something that he'll have to quickly prove to the brass in Chicago as well as the NFL world as a whole, but he has hit the ground running. Part of being a good coach is having good assistants — Johnson's old boss Dan Campbell would probably tell you that — and Johnson quickly went out and hired former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen to be his new defensive coordinator, former Denver Broncos tight ends coach Declan Doyle is his new offensive coordinator, and special teams coordinator Richard Hightower was retained from Eberflus' staff.
Johnson moved quickly, and he had a plan and a team source told Cronin of ESPN that Johnson's ability to be prepared has allowed him to quickly ascend through the NFL's coaching ranks.
“The coaches that kind of rise to the top are the ones that have a plan, and not only just in words but have relationships where you can get it done,” Cronin's source said.
He's got his staff, and that's the first part of “getting it done” for Johnson. Now, he has to prove he can do the rest.
