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Chicago Bears hire Ben Johnson as head coach, stealing away Lions offensive coordinator
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- Chicago Bears hire Ben Johnson as head coach, stealing away Lions offensive coordinator
The architect of the NFL's best offense will be calling plays for someone else next fall.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is finalizing a deal to become the Chicago Bears ' next head coach, the Free Press has learned.
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The Lions were eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday by the Washington Commanders . Johnson became available to be hired after the loss.
Johnson had virtual interviews with four teams during the Lions' first-round playoff bye, the Bears, Las Vegas Raiders , Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots .
The Patriots hired Mike Vrabel, a member of their team Hall-of-Fame as a player, earlier this month, while the Raiders and Jaguars jobs, plus the New York Jets , New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys jobs remain open.
INSTANT TAKE: Detroit Lions' window is still open — even though they lost Ben Johnson
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Johnson was considered the top coaching candidate on the market last winter but turned down second interviews with two teams to stay in Detroit and pursue a Super Bowl. He said in December he still hoped to be a head coach one day and changed agents after last season to assist in his pursuit of a job.
"I think there's a burning desire in every man to find what he's made out of and push the limits and see if he's got what it takes," Johnson said in December. "And so yeah, there's a fire there. Now, when that time is, I don't know when that'll be. But there's certainly a fire there."
LOOKING AHEAD: With Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson heading to Chicago, his replacement might be in-house
Johnson interviewed with five teams and turned down the chance to speak to a sixth last winter and was widely considered the favorite to land the Commanders job when he informed the team he was withdrawing his name from consideration after the Lions' NFC championship game loss to the San Francisco 49ers .
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson watches warm up ahead of the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023.
Johnson also interviewed with the Carolina Panthers , Seattle Seahawks , Los Angeles Chargers and Atlanta Falcons last year and declined an interview request with the Tennessee Titans due to his schedule.
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In 2022, he declined an in-person interview with the Panthers when he was considered the favorite for that job.
Initially hired as an offensive quality control assistant under Matt Patricia in 2019, Johnson has had a meteoric rise with the Lions and is widely considered one of the brightest offensive minds in football.
Dan Campbell retained Johnson as tight ends coach on his first Lions staff in 2021 and promoted Johnson to pass game coordinator midway through that season after stripping then-offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn of play-calling duties.
Johnson took over as coordinator in 2022, and the Lions have averaged a league-best 29 points per game over the past three seasons.
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This year, the Lions finished in the top six in passing, rushing, scoring and total offense and finished with a franchise-best 15-2 record. They led the league in touchdowns and scored 40 or more points six times as Johnson meshed a high-powered rushing attack with creative use of personnel. He was known to call trick plays at any time in any situation, and this year ran a hook-and-lateral to right tackle Penei Sewell and designed a play that called for Sewell to throw the ball.
"I've been a lot more prepared for the types of questions that they've been asking (in this hiring cycle)," Johnson said before the Commanders game. "I've also changed my frame of mind a little bit and instead of worrying solely about the offense and what we're doing right here, I've been able to have offseasons and summers to think about, big-picture view, what a program would look like where I'm running it. And so, I think that way, I'm a lot more prepared for the questions that come my way and I'm much more comfortable answering them."
Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday he could stay in-house or look outside the organization for Johnson's replacement, though he wants the Lions' next coordinator to keep the same terminology and adhere to a similar philosophy.
Offensive line coach Hank Fraley could join Johnson in Chicago as coordinator, though Johnson plans to continue calling plays; pass game coordinator Tanner Engstrand has previous coordinator experience in college and the XFL; and receivers coach Antwaan Randle El interviewed for the offensive coordinator job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year.
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Campbell said he will value quarterback Jared Goff 's input in the hire.
"That's what Ben did a great job of is those guys working together," Campbell said. "And this system was kind of built from the ground up and it was to help him and for him to be a part of. So yeah, that's huge. He'll have a lot of input. What he says is going to have a – says a lot to me, I should say. Now, is it going to be the ultimate decision? No, it's not, but what he says is going to mean a lot to me."
With the Bears, Johnson inherits a team that went 5-12 and finished in last place in the NFC North this season but has a talented young quarterback in Caleb Williams , the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 draft. The Bears have not made the playoffs since 2020 and have not won a postseason game since 2010.
Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn also is a top coaching candidate this hiring cycle. Glenn interviewed with five teams during the Lions' bye and is considered one of the favorites for openings with the Saints and Jets.
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Dave Birkett is the author of the new book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ben Johnson is Bears head coach: Chicago steals Lions OC
