Burning Question: Is Lions Ben Johnson Top Candidate for Bears Job?

Could Ben Johnson become the next head coach of the Chicago Bears?

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16), left, talks to offensive coordinator Ben Johnson / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears are expected to conduct a thorough search for their vacant head coaching position.

Matt Eberflus was dismissed Friday, following the Bears 23-20 loss to the Lions.

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is expected to be included in nearly all of the lists compiled by teams that will conduct a search for a new head coach.

Johnson, 38, has drawn a tremendous amount of praise for his innovative and creative play-calling and for crafting an offense that suits the strengths of veteran quarterback Jared Goff.

In a recent list compiled by Sports Illustrated, Johnson was included as one of the top candidates, along with Brian Flores, Kliff Kingsbury, Bobby Slowik, Frank Smith and Dan Pitcher.

As Conor Orr explained, "The Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator is admittedly selective and given his affinity for Dan Campbell, I wonder if he would take a job inside the NFC North. Though, to summarize the thoughts of one industry source I spoke to Friday morning: Johnson may end up waiting forever for this supposed dream job."

TOP CANDIDATES TO BECOME NEXT HEAD COACH IN CHICAGO pic.twitter.com/c2O9dpCvnY

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 29, 2024

Johnson expressed in May that he wanted to enjoy the 'sunshine' in Detroit just a little longer.

Across the league, there has been growing awareness that teams may only give coaches two seasons or less to get into the postseason.

As a result, higher profile candidates are becoming slightly more selective when making their decisions to join a new organization.

Across the league, the Bears opening is being viewed as a solid opportunity for a new coach to come in and have success sooner rather than later.

"The Bears check a lot of boxes on anyone's list: a franchise that is relatively patient (Eberflus got two-plus years, and Matt Nagy got four seasons before that), has a quarterback of the future and some veteran playmakers that can yield immediate success," writes Orr. "If Eberflus’s tenure taught us anything, it’s that this team is not far off.

Additional reading

1.) 'A Lot of Punch Left': What Lions Are Getting In Kwon Alexander

2.) What They're Saying: David Montgomery Serves Payback

3.) Lions Signing Jonah Williams Off Rams Practice Squad

4.) What Chicago Bears Firing Matt Eberflus Means For Detroit Lions