NEWSLETTER
Usually, during Bears season, I begin my day with either ESPN 1000 or 670 The Score’s YouTube stream up. Kap & J. Hood had NFL Insider Albert Breer on and that interview intrigued me. The interview was most of the same stuff you’d expect until he dropped this little nugget when asked about factors for a potential decision for General Manager Ryan Poles this offseason that caught the ear of just about every Bears fan on social media
Twitter/X user @Bearlissimo1 clipped this from the interview:
All rights @ESPN1000 @kapjhood @thekapman @adamabdalla @xjhoodespn "There were some who said that was the one he wanted" #BenJohnson #DaBears #Eberflus pic.twitter.com/eI9v9CuRHz— Bearlissimo (@Bearlissimo1) October 29, 2024
Albert Breer on Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson and his connection to the Chicago Bears as a hypothetical Bears head coaching candidate:
“He was definitely connected to the Chicago job last year. There were some people who thought that was the one he wanted. And obviously, it didn’t come open.”
Sunday felt like a potential tipping point in the Matt Eberflus era in Chicago. And while there is still a lot of season left to go, the true test for Eberflus will come when the divisional gauntlet arrives in three weeks. How he responds to the gauntlet will either bring us back to more conversations connecting the Bears and potential future head coaching candidates or take us to a place where fans will be comfortable with Coach Flus. In the meantime, Bears fans can’t hear this clip without thinking about the what-ifs that come with that clip from The MMQB’s Albert Breer.
Are Ben Johnson & the Bears a Potential Match?
The timing of this report by Breer doesn’t seem like a coincidence. Ben Johnson was arguably the hottest name on the head coaching market last offseason (other than Jim Harbaugh). He seemed to be on the brink of getting the Washington job before he ultimately decided he wanted to stick around in Detroit for another year as offensive coordinator. Why would he pass up on a head coaching job with a team with brand new ownership and the second overall pick? I suppose it is possible he had his eyes on another and knew that sticking with the Lions one more year wouldn’t hurt his demand at all.
As we keep connecting the dots, Albert Breer’s reporting on the Bears has been pretty spot on. For instance, Breer was at the forefront of covering the onboarding of Caleb Williams onto the Chicago Bears. The SI report was first with details from the team meeting, provided an inside look at the decision process, and insight on how they got a head start on a developmental plan. Breer was also at the forefront when it came to reporting nuggets and tidbits from the Justin Fields trade watch and insight into the Bears’ dealings when they were trying to swing a trade for Matthew Judon.
Now, seeing this drop just one day after some pretty damning fallout from a terrible loss makes feels like it’s not an accident.
We explored Ben Johnson as someone the Bears should keep an eye on as a future head coach candidate when things were off the rails last November. One thing to keep in mind is that Johnson reportedly had an astronomical asking price to be hired as a head coach. (Luis: And now I’m wondering if that was floated to scare teams off while he waited for another opening.). But if both sides want to get a deal done, they’ll find a way.
If the job were to come open, Johnson and the Bears would be a perfect fit. He is one of the sharpest, young offensive minds in the game and Chicago has a rookie quarterback who has already shown not only all the physical potential you could want but also appears to have the football IQ to run just about any offense.
NFL stories like this rarely get out unless someone wants them out. Coaches, GMs, and players all have relationships with league insiders. If they give them info that they don’t want to get out, it won’t get out at the risk of severing a relationship. The fact that Breer went on a Chicago radio show two days after one of the worst losses in recent memory largely due to coaching miscues and said that this offseason’s hottest head coaching candidate wanted the Bears job last year does not seem like a coincidence.
This could all be nothing. But in a league where there’s no such thing as coincidences, this story seems like something. Stay tuned.
