Ben Johnson is looking to engineer a rapid rebuild with the Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown is taking notice.
Johnson left his role as offensive coordinator of the Lions to lead the rival Bears, sparking a spending spree in free agency as the team works to fill holes across the roster. St. Brown shared a brutally honest take, sharing some praise for Johnson while wondering how the team has the money for such big moves.
Amon-Ra St. Brown Calls Out ‘Crazy’ Spending
The Bears moved quickly on the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period on March 10, reaching terms with several key players to fill holes. They gave center Drew Dalman a three-year, $42 million deal, added a $48 million contract for defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo and a $43.5 million deal with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.
Speaking on an episode of The St. Brown Podcast this week, the Lions wide receiver expressed his amazement at the big moves from the NFC North rival — and used some choice language to describe it.
“I feel like the Bears have unlimited [expletive] money,” Brown said. “This [expletive]’s crazy. They’re just signing new [expletive] for like $40, $50 million. … Ben [Johnson] is just making moves left and right.”
The Bears earned some big praise for their approach and the aggressiveness the team showed in plugging roster holes. Tyler Sullivan and Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports gave the Bears a grade of “A-minus” for the first day of legal tampering.
“The biggest needs for the Chicago Bears were to solidify the offensive line in front of Caleb Williams and add another pass rusher opposite Montez Sweat. Check and check!” the report noted. “Chicago was proactive before the negotiating window opened, executing trades for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, who should both start. Then, they added the top center on the market in Drew Dalman. That should drastically improve an offensive line that surrendered 68 sacks a year ago. Meanwhile, Odeyingbo is just 25 years old and has tallied 16 sacks over the last three seasons.”
The Bears could still have some work to catch up with the Lions, winners of the NFC North for the last two years with a 15-2 record in 2024.
Johnson told reporters ahead of the start of free agency that he wants to add “playmakers all over the roster,” focusing equally on both sides of the ball. The former Lions offensive coordinator took a page from Dan Campbell, who often stresses the importance of the offense and defense playing together.
“But at the same time, we know complementary football wins in this league,” Johnson said, via USA Today’s Bears Wire.
Lions Busy in Free Agency
The Lions have adopted a careful approach to building their roster under general manager Brad Holmes and entered the start of the free agency period with no major holes. The team still went to work adding talent, re-signing edge rusher Marcus Davenport and linebacker Derrick Barnes while signing cornerback D.J. Reed.
The Lions lost top cornerback Carlton Davis, who signed a new contract with the New England Patriots.
