Bears hire Lions OC Ben Johnson as next head coach

“The Chicago Bears are a world-class franchise with an exceptional historical past and unimaginable fanbase,” Johnson mentioned in an announcement on Tuesday.

“I’m grateful to George [McCaskey], Kevin [Warren], Ryan and all the group for presenting me and my household with this super alternative. Having been on the opposing sideline, I can attest to how passionate Bears followers are about this metropolis and their workforce, and I’m honored to be their head coach.”

Johnson took over as Lions offensive coordinator in 2022 and ascended to prominence because the conductor of Detroit’s explosive unit, which reached new heights in 2024, ending the common season because the NFL’s high scoring offense and posting the very best per-game scoring common (33.2) within the final 5 seasons. Beneath Johnson, Detroit scored 20-plus factors in 16 of their 17 video games in 2024, and posted 40-plus factors in six contests, tying for probably the most by any workforce in a season in NFL historical past.

With Johnson directing the offense, Jared Goff has led the NFL in passing yards (13,642) and passing touchdowns (96) because the 2022 season, averaging 260-plus passing yards per sport in every of his three seasons performed underneath Johnson and posting the very best win-loss file of any quarterback within the final two years (27-7).

In Detroit’s peak season of 2024, Goff set the Lions’ single-season data in completion share and passer score and completed second within the NFL in completion share, passer score, passing yards per try and passing touchdowns. The previous No. 1 general choose of the Rams additionally posted the second-most passing touchdowns in a single season in Lions historical past (37), trailing solely Matthew Stafford’s 41 passing scores from 2011.

Johnson’s handiwork positioned him on head-coaching watch lists a 12 months in the past, however the coordinator determined it wasn’t the correct time for him to depart for a promotion elsewhere, as a substitute returning to Detroit to deal with unfinished enterprise. For many of 2024, Johnson and the Lions seemed to be on observe to do exactly that, ending within the high 5 within the NFL in complete yards per sport and first downs per sport whereas using an offensive juggernaut to a 15-2 regular-season end and the highest seed within the NFC.

Detroit’s season ended prematurely, although, when the Lions misplaced a shootout on Saturday to the Washington Commanders within the Divisional Spherical, 45-31. The sudden defeat freed up Johnson to just accept a job elsewhere, which he did lower than 48 hours after the season-ending loss.

As one more new Bears coach employed with out earlier head-coaching expertise — John Fox (in 2015) stays the one Bears rent made with such credentials on his resume — Johnson heads to Chicago with 13 NFL seasons underneath his belt and a monumental process forward of him: information the Bears to long-term success. Johnson takes over a Bears workforce that already features a hand-picked franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams and arrives with expectation he’ll work the identical magic with Williams as he did with Goff in Detroit.

The 38-year-old may also purpose to carry a stage of professionalism and group that didn’t exist underneath earlier Eberflus and interim coach Thomas Brown. Although the latter’s ascension to play-caller and interim coach produced a slight enhance in manufacturing for Chicago, it solely stood as a glimpse of what Williams and the Bears may very well be underneath the correct management.

With three years of confirmed success as a play-caller in Detroit, Johnson will take over an NFC North rival with the purpose of turning these desires into actuality.