(670 The Score) The Bears have reached an agreement to hire Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their new head coach, sources confirmed to 670 The Score on Monday afternoon.
Johnson, 38, was considered by many to be the most coveted candidate in this coach hiring cycle. His appointment to the Bears came less than 48 hours after the Lions were eliminated from the playoffs with a 45-31 loss to the Commanders in the NFL divisional round Saturday, which allowed Johnson to conduct an in-person interview Monday.
Though the Raiders and the Jaguars were also interested in Johnson, the Bears secured him Monday by flying him into Chicago's northern suburbs and reaching an agreement.
Johnson broke into the NFL with the Dolphins back in 2012 and has risen the ranks as one of the league’s top assistants. He has been a key lieutenant for Lions head coach Dan Campbell, serving as Detroit's offensive coordinator since 2022. The Lions ranked first in scoring offense and second in total offense this season.
The Bears are intrigued by how Johnson could connect with 23-year-old quarterback Caleb Williams and help him develop.
"It's been really cool to watch,” Williams said of seeing Johnson's work. “During our games, I would sit back and just kind of watch and try to learn something while I watch. It was fascinating to watch because he always has wrinkles for counters and things like that throughout the game. I think he's obviously done really well. It would be cool to see how that all goes down."
The Bears had a coaching opening after firing Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29. That marked the first ever in-season firing of a head coach in franchise history.
A press conference to announce Johnson as the 18th head coach in Bears history is expected later this week.