The precocious Detroit Lions offensive mind will be the Chicago Bears next head coach we learned Monday afternoon, and it quickly became the NFL’s biggest story of the day.
Johnson leaving for an NFC North Division rival makes the move all the more fascinating, flaming the embers of a stunned Lions fanbase less than 48 hours removed from another playoff meltdown after a franchise-best 15-2 regular season. The 1-seed Lions lost Saturday night to the 6-seed Washington Commanders, 45-31, at Ford Field in the divisional round.
Johnson’s offense put up 521 yards and 31 points despite five turnovers, four from quarterback Jared Goff. But one haunting play-call in the fourth quarter delivered the knockout punch: A trick play pass from wide receiver Jameson Williams, resulting in a back-breaking interception.
Here’s how folks were reacting to the Johnson-Bears news on the social media site, X:
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Sunday’s Eddie George interview paved the way for the Bears to move quickly on Ben Johnson
From the moment the Bears fired coach Matt Eberflus, they were committed to conducting a wide-ranging and deliberate search for a new coach.
From the moment the Lions’ season unexpectedly ended on Saturday night, the Bears apparently shifted their process into hyperdrive.
The key to Monday’s abrupt conclusion to their process was Sunday’s interview of Tennessee State coach Eddie George. With former Panthers and Commanders coach Ron Rivera already interviewed in person, the face-to-face with George (a surprise candidate, to say the least) became the second in-person interview of a minority candidate, which cleared the runway for the Bears to move on Johnson.
The Bears planned the George interview days in advance. Although it was a secret until Jay Glazer reported it on the Fox post-game show after the Lions lost, it had been set (we’re told) several days in advance. The Sunday session allowed them to begin meeting in person with coaches under contract with other teams on Monday — and hiring one of them, if they chose to do so.
It’s a twist on what the Patriots did. Upon firing Jerod Mayo and making a beeline for Mike Vrabel, they needed to comply with the Rooney Rule before acting. On the Tuesday after the regular season ended, they interviewed both Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton, opening the door to close a deal with Vrabel ASAFP.
And while the Bears did indeed engage in a thorough and time-consuming search (as a source with knowledge of the situation explained it, Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich got the same kind of opportunity that Johnson did during virtual interviews), they swooped in before someone else could sway Johnson.
And the Sunday interview of Eddie George allowed that to happen.
