Bears Set to Hire Ben Johnson as Next Head Coach
January 20, 2025, 3:00 PM CST
The Bears are reportedly hiring Lions OC Ben Johnson as their next Head Coach, per Adam Schefter.
Johnson, who was widely considered the best candidate on the market, will step into a situation with Caleb Williams as his franchise QB, along with key weapons on offense such as DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, as well as a defense that was towards the top of the league before Matt Eberflus' firing.
Johnson has led Detroit's offense to Top 5 status in each of his three seasons as their Offensive Coordinator, something that has never happened in Bears football history. Per Schefter as well, he has begun assembling a staff and former Saints Head Coach Dennis Allen could be a prime target for our Defensive Coordinator. Johnson chooses the Bears despite interest from the Raiders and Jaguars, with many media members believing he was going to pick Las Vegas.
It's time for a new era of Bears football, hopefully it winds up being the start of a dynasty. Chicago needs a winning team, and it's time for the Monsters of the Midway to rise back up.
Image Credit: Detroit Free Press
Head Coach Interview Tracker
January 6, 2025-TBD
This will serve as the official tracker for all interview requests the Bears make, and will be updated with dates that each candidate was requested, interviewed, and perhaps brought back for a second interview should that information be made public.
Interview Requests/Reports:
1. Lions OC Ben Johnson (Requested 1/6)
2. Lions DC Aaron Glenn (Requested 1/6)
3. Cardinals OC Drew Petzing (Requested 1/6)
4. Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver (Requested 1/6)
5. Giants OC Mike Kafka (Requested 1/6)
6. Vikings DC Brian Flores (Requested 1/6)
7. Steelers OC Arthur Smith (Requested 1/6)
8. Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy (Requested 1/6-Denied 1/7)*
9. Ravens OC Todd Monken (Requested 1/6)
10. Former Stanford HC/Current Broncos Assistant David Shaw (Requested 1/6)
11. Bills OC Joe Brady (Requested 1/7)
12. Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury (Requested 1/8)
13. Iowa State HC Matt Campbell (Reported 1/8-No Request Needed)
14. Former Panthers and Commanders HC Ron Rivera (Reported 1/11-No Request Needed)
15. Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman (Reported Interest 1/12)
16. Packers OC Adam Stenavich (Requested 1/13)
17. Steelers HC Mike Tomlin (Reportedly had interest in trade but Steelers denied - 1/18)
*Mike McCarthy is currently under contract with the Dallas Cowboys, though if he is not extended by 1/14, the Bears can talk to him despite Dallas denying their request on 1/7
First Interviews:
1. Former Titans HC Mike Vrabel (Team Announced - 1/8)
2. Cardinals OC Drew Petzing (Team Announced - 1/9)
3. Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver (Team Announced - 1/9)
4. Former Seahawks HC Pete Carroll (Team Announced - 1/9)
5. Giants OC Mike Kafka (Team Announced - 1/9)
6. Lions OC Ben Johnson (Team Announced - 1/11)
7. Lions DC Aaron Glenn (Team Announced - 1/11)
8. Former Panthers and Commanders HC Ron Rivera (Team Announced - 1/12)
9. Bears Interim HC Thomas Brown (Team Announced - 1/13)
10. Former Stanford HC David Shaw (Team Announced - 1/14)
11. Steelers OC Arthur Smith (Team Announced - 1/15)
12. Former Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy (Team Announced - 1/15)
13. Ravens OC Todd Monken (Team Announced - 1/17)
14. Bills OC Joe Brady (Team Announced - 1/17)
15. Vikings DC Brian Flores (Team Announced - 1/18)
16. Packers OC Adam Stenavich (Team Announced - 1/18)
17. Tennessee State HC Eddie George (Team Announced - 1/19)
Hired:
Ben Johnson - Lions OC
Image Credit: Chicago Bears
Bears Complete Head Coach Interview with Eddie George
January 19, 2025, 9:14 PM CST
The Bears today completed a surprise interview for Head Coach, bringing former Tennessee Titans RB and current Tennessee State Head Coach Eddie George into Halas Hall.
The interview, which was in-person, means the Bears have now satisfied the Rooney Rule, which requires at least two minority candidates to interview in-person. The team is now free to hire a coach at any time.
The timing of the reveal of this interview, which came from Jay Glazer on the FOX NFL Postgame show following the Lions-Commanders game yesterday, seemed to signal that the Bears had this as their contingency plan to complete the requirements for the rule had Detroit lost yesterday, which they did. Presuming their top target is Ben Johnson, it seems as though the team will make an all out push to hire him as soon as possible.
In his playing career, George was a 4x Pro Bowler for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, and he also won the Heisman Trophy while playing at Ohio State. In 2011, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He rushed for 10,441 yards and 68 touchdowns across a 141 game NFL career. George took over as the Head Coach of Tennessee State in 2021. After two losing seasons in 2021 and 2022, the Tigers took a step forward in 2023 and won their conference this past year, appearing in the FCS playoffs. While there are questions about the legitimacy of this interview given the Bears need to satisfy the Rooney Rule, we have seen Detroit bring in a number of former players as position coaches, which could open the door for George to be offered a spot on the Bears coaching staff and help get his name around NFL circles.
As mentioned earlier, the Bears are now free to hire a Head Coach whenever they please. Candidates from eliminated teams can begin in-person interviews tomorrow, so we may see some new requests going out and we'll also learn who the finalists for the job will be.
Image Credit: Sports Illustrated
Bears Complete Interviews with Flores, Stenavich
January 18, 2025, 8:06 PM CST
The Bears today completed interviews with Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores and Packers Offensive Coordinator Adam Stenavich, which should wrap up their first round of interviews. There are three potential candidates that we have not heard if they interviewed, those being Kliff Kingsbury, Marcus Freeman, and Matt Campbell, but it seems unlikely we would hear about those for a while.
Flores began his coaching career with the Patriots in 2008 as a special teams assistant. He bounced around in various roles with the team through the 2018 season, where he was serving as their Linebackers Coach. The Dolphins hired him in 2019 to be their Head Coach despite no prior coordinator experience. He spent three seasons in Miami, and after winning five games in his first year (which actually exceeded expectations), he led the team to back-to-back winning seasons, though the team just missed the playoffs each year. Despite this, the Dolphins decided to move on from him, a surprise at the time. A lot of information did come out in the few years following his tenure about he would treat some of his players, particularly young QB Tua Tagovailoa, but it's pretty likely that he has learned from those mistakes. After spending one year as Senior Defensive Assistant/LB Coach in Pittsburgh, Flores took the Vikings DC job in 2023, where he has risen Minnesota to one of the best defenses in the NFL.
The final of the first round of interviews was Stenavich, who was a surprising candidate to many. Stenavich began his coaching career in college as an assistant for Michigan. After bouncing around a few different schools, he landed his first NFL job in 2017 as an Assistant O-Line Coach for the 49ers. He departed from San Francisco in 2019 to become the O-Line Coach in Green Bay. He gained the additional title of Run Game Coordinator in 2021, and was promoted to Offensive Coordinator in 2022 after Nathaniel Hackett took the Broncos Head Coach job and Luke Getsy, who appeared to be next in line, took the Bears OC job instead. Stenavich has served in that role ever since, learning under Matt LaFleur and though he doesn't call the plays, he has helped develop Green Bay's O-Line into a strong unit year after year.
For now, the Bears appear to be done with their first round of interviews, and they can begin their second round of interviews on Monday.
Image Credit: Sports Illustrated
Bears Conduct Head Coach Interviews with Monken, Brady
January 17, 2025, 10:35 PM CST
The Bears are close to wrapping up their first round of Head Coach interviews. Today the team interviewed Ravens Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken and Bills Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady.
The first interview of the day was Monken, who is a native of Wheaton. Monken arguably has the best resume in the 2020s among all of the candidates. Before joining the Ravens as their OC in 2023, he served in the same role at Georgia from 2020-2022. The Bulldogs won the National Championship in 2021 and 2022 under Monken's offense, and he helped develop NFL talent such as Raiders standout rookie Brock Bowers. In his first year with Baltimore, Monken helped Lamar Jackson to his best season in the league, winning his second MVP award and following that up with another MVP-level season this year. Prior to joining Georgia, Monken served as the OC in Tampa Bay from 2016-2018, and was the Browns OC in 2019. He has previous college Head Coaching experience with Southern Miss, helping turn around a struggling program and making a bowl game in 2015 before he left for the Buccaneers job.
The Bears also interviewed Brady today, and he was a busy man as he also had an interview with the Saints earlier today. Brady first rose to prominence in 2019, when he was LSU's passing game coordinator for a team that is widely considered as one of the best college teams we've seen. After one year with the Tigers, he left to take the OC job in Carolina, but was only there for two years before being let go. He joined the Bills in 2022 as their QB Coach, serving in that role until being promoted to interim OC in Buffalo midway through the 2023 season after then Bills OC Ken Dorsey was fired. He helped revive the Buffalo offense, and after being given the permanent OC title this year, he's helped Josh Allen to his best year in his career, and the Bills won the AFC East this year despite losing Stefon Diggs.
Just two known interviews remain tomorrow, those being Brian Flores and Adam Stenavich. It is unknown whether Kliff Kingsbury or Marcus Freeman will interview, and there's been speculation that the team has talked to Matt Campbell, but just hasn't announced it. The Bears can begin their second round of interviews on Monday, meaning they could soon hire Ben Johnson, or anyone else they wind up deciding on.
Image Credit: Chicago Sun-Times
Bears Interview Shaw, Smith, McCarthy
January 15, 2025, 10:12 PM CST
The Bears over the past two days have completed three Head Coach interviews.
Yesterday, the team conducted an interview with David Shaw, the former Stanford Head Coach who served as a Senior Personnel Executive with the Broncos this year. Shaw has not coached at the NFL level since 2005 when he was the Ravens WR Coach, but he has plenty of experience as a Head Coach at the college level. From 2011-2022, he was the Head Coach at Stanford, helping develop Andrew Luck and lead Stanford to one of their best stretches of play in school history, including finishing #3 in the AP Poll in 2015 after winning the PAC-12 and Rose Bowl. From 2012-2015, Shaw led Stanford to three PAC-12 titles and three Rose Bowl appearances. He currently holds the record for most wins as Stanford Head Coach.
Today, the Bears began with interviewing Steelers Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith. Smith was the Falcons Head Coach from 2021-2023, compiling a 21-30 record after three seasons where he went 7-10 each year, and missed the playoffs each year. He was hired in Atlanta after serving as the OC of the Titans from 2019-2020, where the team had a good stretch of offensive football. Under Smith and Head Coach Mike Vrabel, the team made the AFC Championship Game in 2019. This year, the Steelers offense ranked 23rd in total yardage under Smith.
The final interview of today was former Packers and Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy was unavailable for interview earlier in the offseason due to his contract with the Cowboys, but that deal has expired and he is a free agent. As opposed to other interviews, McCarthy's interview with the Bears was in-person (Ron Rivera was the only other candidate with an in-person interview). He has been credited with developing Aaron Rodgers as well as having Dak Prescott playing the best football of his career. As Green Bay's Head Coach from 2006-2018, the team won the Super Bowl in 2010 and McCarthy won the NFL Coach of the Year Award the following season. During McCarthy's time in Green Bay, he led the team to a 135-85-2 record (125-77-2 regular season, 10-8 postseason). After taking the year off in 2019, McCarthy was hired by Dallas in 2020. In his five seasons in Dallas, McCarthy led the Cowboys to a 49-35 record, going 1-3 in the postseason.
The Bears are not known to have any interviews scheduled tomorrow, but they do have a planned interview with Ravens OC Todd Monken on Friday.
Image Credit: ESPN
Bears Conduct Interview with Brown, Update on McCarthy
January 13, 2025, 11:08 PM CST
The Bears today only conducted one interview, that being current interim Head Coach Thomas Brown.
Brown came into his current role following the Week 13 loss to the Lions, when Matt Eberflus' poor clock management contributed to the team's 6th loss in a row (at the time). After taking over as the interim Head Coach, the Bears would go on to lose their first four games under Brown, none of them being particularly close outside of an ugly 6-3 game against the Seahawks in Week 17. Brown's signature moment in the role and what he'll be remembered for if his time in Chicago is over is his Week 18 upset victory at Lambeau Field over the Packers, snapping the Bears 11-game losing streak vs Green Bay and a 10-game losing streak in general.
Brown initially joined the team this year as the Passing Game Coordinator after interviewing for the Offensive Coordinator job in January 2024. He eventually was promoted to that role in Week 11, following Shane Waldron's firing post-Week 10. When Brown took over playcalling duties, the offense improved significantly and helped the team play close games against the Packers, Vikings, and Lions, though they would lose all four. Prior to joining the Bears, Brown was in Carolina in 2023 as their OC.
In addition to Brown interviewing, the Bears got news regarding Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy. The team requested to interview him last Monday, though Dallas denied the request. Despite this, the Cowboys announced today that they would be parting ways with McCarthy, and he is now expected to interview for the Bears job on Wednesday. He has experience developing Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott into their best selves, with the former being one of Caleb Williams idols growing up. While many Bears fans are turned off at the prospect of McCarthy being the coach, I'm not as opposed and think he would be good for Caleb Williams. Of course, the top target remains Lions OC Ben Johnson, but they'll do their homework on McCarthy as well.
Image Credit: Bleacher Report
Bears Conduct Interview With Former Coach Ron Rivera
January 12, 2025, 9:27 PM CST
The Bears only ended up with one interview today, though more will come this week as some teams have been eliminated from playoff contention.
The team conducted an interview with Ron Rivera, the former Panthers and Commanders Head Coach, as well as a player on the '85 Bears and the Defensive Coordinator for the '06 Bears.
Rivera coached Carolina from 2011-2019, helping guide the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2015 as well as developing Cam Newton into an elite, MVP-winning Quarterback. When he departed the team in 2019, he had posted a 79-67-1 in Carolina. It didn't take long for him to find another job, as he was hired by the Commanders less than a month later. Despite a losing record, Washington was able to win the NFC East in Rivera's first year, and played the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers closer than anyone else in those playoffs. From 2021-2023, though, the team could not recapture that success, and he finished with a record of .500 or worse each year in Washington. He was let go after last year and joined ESPN as an analyst.
As previously mentioned, Rivera has winning history with the Bears. He was a linebacker with the team from 1984-1992, winning Super Bowl XX against the Patriots. He ended up retiring as a Bear, and later rejoined the team in 1997 as a Defensive Quality Control Coach. After leaving the team to coach Philadelphia's linebackers, Rivera came back in 2004 as the Defensive Coordinator under Lovie Smith. He helped revive the Monsters of the Midway, as the team made the Super Bowl in 2006, ultimately losing to the Colts before Rivera left the team due to failed contract negotiations. He joined the Chargers as their linebacker coach, being promoted to DC and then getting hired by the Panthers.
We can also cross one name off the Bears list, as Mike Vrabel was hired today by the New England Patriots. He was one of my top targets, though it was pretty obvious that he was going to New England. Oh well, there's still plenty of more candidates around to try and hire.
Image Credit: Bleacher Report
Bears Interview Top Candidates Johnson, Glenn For Head Coach
January 11, 2025, 10:15 PM CST
Today was a big day for the Bears coaching search, as they interviewed two candidates who many consider to be at the top of potential choices for the next Bears Head Coach.
In the morning, the Bears conducted their interview with Lions OC Ben Johnson, who many (including myself) believe to be the top candidate for the job. Since entering that role in 2022, the Lions have been a Top 5 offense each year under Johnson, including having the best offense this year. Prior to joining the Lions in 2019, Johnson coached in Miami under then Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase, a former Bears OC. He's been the hot name for years, but has turned down Head Coaching jobs the past two seasons. Now, it seems like he's got a golden opportunity to coach Caleb Williams and help lead the Bears to the top of the league.
The second Bears interview today was Lions DC Aaron Glenn. While Glenn may not be as hot of a name as Johnson, he is still a strong candidate given his leadership qualities, his ability to set a culture, and his good defenses since Detroit has gotten him talent to coach. He took over his current role in 2021, when Dan Campbell was first hired in Detroit. After making key additions to help improve their defense, the Lions were able to rise to the top of the league on that side of the ball, though they've been heavily hampered by injuries this year. Even still, Glenn has managed to get strong production out of their defense, especially their line as they didn't seem to lose a beat after Aidan Hutchinson went down for the season. Prior to coaching the Lions, Glenn coached in New Orleans, and is a former three-time Pro Bowler as a player.
These two names are definitely ones to watch for in the Bears search, and I wouldn't be surprised if both are brought back for second interviews after Detroit's playoff run is complete.
Image Credit: Athlon Sports
Bears Interview Petzing, Weaver, Carroll, Kafka
January 9, 2025, 11:34 PM CST
The Bears today announced four interviews that they conducted for Head Coach.
Early in the morning, it was announced that the Bears completed an interview with Cardinals Offensive Coordinator Drew Petzing. Petzing has served as Arizona's OC since Jonathan Gannon became the Head Coach in 2023. Prior to that, he served as the Cleveland Browns QB Coach after a seven year stint in various positions with the Vikings. This past year, the Cardinals offense ranked 11th in yards per game.
Dolphins Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver was the second interview to be announced today. Weaver joined Miami this past season after serving as the assistant Head Coach and DLine Coach in Baltimore under John Harbaugh. He received Head Coaching interviews last year prior to taking the job in Miami. The Dolphins defense ranked 4th in yards per game allowed this past season.
The biggest name to be interviewed today was former Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll. Carroll was the Seahawks Head Coach from 2010-2023, winning two NFC Championships and winning one Super Bowl. Prior to coaching Seattle, he was the Head Coach at USC from 2001-2009, winning a National Title as well as multiple Rose Bowl's with the Trojans. Prior to his college stint, he served as Head Coach of the Jets in 1994, and the Patriots from 1997-1999. In his NFL coaching career, he's compiled a record of 181-131-1, and in college he had a 97-19 record. He also has experience developing Russell Wilson into an elite QB, which is notable as Caleb is a similar archetype of player to Russ.
The last interview of the day was Giants Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka. Kafka, who is from Chicago, has served as New York's OC since Brian Daboll became the Head Coach in 2022. He called plays for the team in his first two years, leading them to a playoff appearance and win in 2022 with Daniel Jones at QB. He gained the status of Assistant Head Coach this year along with his OC role, but Daboll retook playcalling duties, perhaps leading to the Giants offensive struggles this year. Prior to joining the Giants, Kafka served as the Chiefs QB Coach from 2018-2019, and had the additional title of Passing Game Coordinator from 2020-2021. He was crucial in the development of Patrick Mahomes in his first year as a starter, and was originally rumored to be part of Matt Nagy's staff when he became the Bears coach in 2018 (though this obviously didn't happen).
The Bears do not currently have any known interviews on the cards tomorrow, but they have a big day on Saturday as Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn are scheduled to interview those days.
Image Credit: Sporting News
Bears Conduct Head Coach Interview with Mike Vrabel
January 8, 2025, 5:23 PM CST
The Bears today conducted a Head Coach interview with former Tennessee Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel, the team announced.
Vrabel, who served as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns this past season, led the Titans from 2018-2023 after previously serving as the Texans Defensive Coordinator. A former player and multi-time Super Bowl winner, Vrabel led Tennessee to three playoff appearances in six years, including a run to the AFC Championship in 2019 (after ending the Patriots dynasty in the Wild Card) and back-to-back division titles in 2020 and 2021, the latter of which the team secured the top seed in the AFC. He was let go following the 2023 season, when the Titans finished 6-11, and has been a hot name since then.
Vrabel has been widely considered the favorite to land the vacant Patriots Head Coach position, as he is set to travel there tomorrow and interview in-person. The Bears interviewed him virtually today, as they are doing with all of their candidates in the initial interview.
It is unknown if the Bears will conduct anymore interviews today, though Ian Rapoport did report this morning that Drew Petzing was set to also conduct an interview. If that happens, I will update this article.
Image Credit: Sports Illustrated