Report: Bears finalizing deal with Lions OC Johnson to become team's next head coach

CHICAGO -- The Bears are finalizing a deal to hire Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next head coach, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday.

Johnson, who has been the Lions' offensive coordinator the past three seasons, will fill the job vacated when Matt Eberflus was fired on Nov. 29. Johnson will be the 19th head coach in the franchise's 105-year existence.

Johnson, 38, was available to be hired after the Lions, who were the NFC's No. 1 seed in the playoffs, were stunned on Saturday night by the Washington Commanders.

A source told Schefter that Johnson is already working on assembling his staff with former New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen expected to be hired as Chicago's defensive coordinator.

The Bears conducted a virtual interview with Johnson on Jan. 11 during the Lions' first-round bye. He also interviewed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots.

Chicago interviewed 17 candidates for its head coach vacancy, three of which were conducted in person with former Commanders/Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera, former Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and current Tennessee State coach Eddie George.

"We're going to cast a wide net," general manager Ryan Poles said on Jan. 7. "It's going to be a diverse group. This will be different backgrounds from offense, defense, special teams, college, pro. We're turning every stone to make sure we're doing this the right way ... There's going to be some names that you don't expect that are going to surprise you because we're digging deeper than we ever have before."

The Bears were in compliance with the NFL's Rooney Rule after the completion of George's interview on Sunday.

Johnson rebuffed interest from teams the past few years but now will take over in Chicago to coach quarterback Caleb Williams, who said earlier this month that he was intrigued by Johnson's offense with the Lions.

"I think during our game, I would sit back and watch and try and learn something while I watch," Wiliams said. "It was fascinating to watch because he always had wrinkles for counters and things like that throughout the game. I think he's obviously done really well, so it'd be cool to see how that all goes down."

Ahead of the Bears' 34-17 loss to Detroit in December, Johnson offered similar praise over what he'd seen from Williams. In two games against the Lions, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft threw for 681 yards and five touchdowns without an interception.

Johnson, known for his innovative playcalling, has coached the Lions to top-10 offenses the past two seasons, including second overall this year and No. 1 in points scored when they finished 15-2. Detroit's 28.2 offensive points per game from 2022-24 during Johnson's span as offensive coordinator were the most in the NFL. The Lions averaged at least 26 points per game in each of Johnson's three seasons as offensive coordinator, whereas the Bears have had four such seasons in the entire Super Bowl era (1985, 2006, 2013 and 2018).

The Bears finished 5-12 this season, last in the NFC North standings. Since George Halas retired following the 1967 season, only one of the last 12 Bears full-time coaches have had a winning record in his first season when Matt Nagy led Chicago to an NFC North title and 12-4 finish in 2018.

Johnson will be tasked with elevating Williams the way he did with Jared Goff in Detroit. Goff had a 46 Total QBR the season before Johnson took over as offensive coordinator in 2022. That improved to 63 in Johnson's first season as OC, in large part due to limiting the amount of sacks Goff took (his sack percentage decreased by 3% from 2021 to 2022) and getting easier throws with play action.

Williams' QBR was 47 during his rookie season (28th in NFL) and he was sacked a league-high 68 times.

The Bears' offense can stand to benefit from the creativity Johnson displayed in Detroit. The Lions ranked No. 1 in play-action usage last season (36%) while Chicago ranked 30th. Detroit used pre-snap motion at the fifth-highest rate whereas the Bears ranked 19th.

Johnson inherits a Bears team that owns the No. 10 pick (four selections in the top 72) and a projected $74.8 million in salary cap space (fourth-most). Three of Chicago's primary starters on the offensive line -- Coleman Shelton, Matt Pryor and Teven Jenkins -- are pending free agents as is wide receiver Keenan Allen.