Ben Johnson helped Jared Goff establish himself as one of the NFL's top quarterbacks.
Now, he'll try to do something similar for Caleb Williams.
Johnson finalized an agreement to become Chicago's head coach, the Bears announced on Tuesday.
“Having been on the opposing sideline, I can attest to how passionate Bears fans are about this city and their team, and I am honored to be their head coach,” Johnson said in a statement.
This will be the first head coaching job for the 38-year-old Johnson, who was widely considered the top candidate on the market after spending the past three seasons as the Lions offensive coordinator under Dan Campbell. He joined Detroit's staff in 2019 following a seven-year run as an assistant with the Miami Dolphins.
With Johnson overseeing the offense, Goff has thrown for more than 4,400 yards each of the past three seasons. He made two of his four career Pro Bowls in that stretch.
The Lions earned the top seed in the NFC at 15-2 before getting stunned by Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in a divisional playoff game on Saturday. Detroit led the league in points per game and finished second in yards passing and total yards per game during the regular season.
“Throughout our search process, I was thoroughly impressed by Ben’s character, intelligence, leadership and ability to connect," general manager Ryan Poles said.
"A progressive offensive mind, Ben’s plan for all three phases of our team, which is centered on creating a winning and competitive environment, became evidently clear. Meeting with Ben and gaining an understanding of his process and vision, the more confident we became that Ben is the right leader for our team and that he and I will be great partners in building our team and shaping our franchise for long-term success.”
Team president Kevin Warren praised Poles for the process he “led, orchestrated and executed” and is “grateful” to have Johnson as the Bears coach.
The Bears fired Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29 and replaced him on an interim basis with Thomas Brown. Chicago finished last in the NFC North at 5-12 and lost 10 in a row before closing the season with a win at Green Bay.
The development of Williams will be the top priority for Johnson in the wake of the Bears’ fourth straight losing season. The No. 1 pick in last year’s draft threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. But he was sacked a franchise-record and league-leading 68 times.
Johnson has a fan in Williams.
“I think it’s been really cool to watch,” Williams said two weeks ago, when the Bears cleaned out their lockers. “During our game, I would sit back and watch and try and learn something. It was fascinating to watch. He had wrinkles for counters and things like that throughout the game.”
Johnson had strong praise for Williams before the Bears faced the Lions in Week 16.
“There’s no question that this guy is talented. I remember standing on the sideline last game and you can hear the ball whistle by you," Johnson said.
"He’s got quite a fastball and has some creativity to him, can extend plays and is accurate down the field as well. Like I said, I haven’t really dove in and can tell you much more beyond that, but he’s been impressive from afar.”
The Bears confirmed interviewing 17 candidates. That list included former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who got the job in New England.
Chicago has just three playoff appearances since the 2006 team won the NFC. The Bears’ lone Super Bowl title came during the 1985 season.
Chicago has not won a postseason game since the 2010 team advanced to the conference title game under Lovie Smith. Johnson becomes their sixth head coach since then, not including Brown.
In three years under Poles, the Bears are 15-36 with two double-digit losing streaks. They dropped their final 10 games in 2022 while in a teardown mode as part of a franchise-worst 14-game slide.
"We are elated to welcome Ben and his family to the Bears and the greatest city in the world,” chairman George McCaskey said. “Ben’s leadership, poise, preparation and detail are evident. We certainly appreciate the first-class manner in which he approached this process. We are excited to see him lead our Bears.”
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