Bear Digest

Bears officially schedule interview with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson

The Chicago Bears have a date scheduled to interview Ben Johnson, the most sought-after coaching candidate in 2025.

Bryan Perez

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Chicago Bears finally have a date to interview Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. It'll be a virtual interview, but an interview nonetheless.

The Bears are scheduled to speak with Johnson on Saturday and will be the third team to meet with the most highly sought-after coaching candidate in 2025.

The New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders will get the first crack at Johnson on Friday, and the Jacksonville Jaguars will follow the Bears on Saturday, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.

Bears fans have long ranked Johnson at the top of their coaching wish list, but GM Ryan Poles' approach to Chicago's head coaching search has caused faith in his process to wane.

Perhaps now that the Chicago Bears have a date certain with Ben Johnson, trust can be restored between fans and the front office.

Johnson's resume of success with the Lions is well-documented. He's flipped Jared Goff from being a middling starting quarterback into a legitimate MVP candidate and has turned Detroit's offense into the highest-scoring unit in the NFL in 2024. He's considered a perfect fit for what the Bears need: an offensive-minded head coach who will get the most out of quarterback Caleb Williams.

"Their work speaks for itself, it has nothing to do with me," Campbell said of Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. "Both of those guys man, they are smart, they are grinders, they are strategic. They understand how to teach, communicate, motivate. And so their work speaks for itself. Both of those guys are more than worthy of being head coaches."

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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