Because the Chicago Bears have reportedly sent out 20 interview requests, it hasn’t felt as if the team is any closer to finding a new head coach than it was when it began on this adventure 10 days ago.
Perhaps that perception is about to change.
One NFL insider hears that the Chicago Bears are zeroing in on two particular candidates in their search for a new head coach. Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports says the Bears’ head-coaching search is a “two-horse race” between Ben Johnson and Mike McCarthy.
You can check out Schultz’s video report below:
.@Schultz_Report says the Chicago Bears head coaching search is a two-horse race between Mike McCarthy and Ben Johnson pic.twitter.com/Y4x0lx6iP8— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 16, 2025
Words from Jordan Schultz:
“It’s been made clear to me that, for all intents and purposes, the Chicago job — and I haven’t said this publicly — is a two-horse race between Mike McCarthy and Ben Johnson. If Brian Flores goes in and wows them, then he is still in that mix. But right now, I think McCarthy and I think Ben Johnson are the two leading candidates for Chicago. It will be really interesting to see what type of direction they want to go.”
This is quite the development from NFL insider Jordan Schultz, as it is the first bit of clarity we’ve received from any league reporter regarding the direction the Bears are planning to go in with their coach hiring. And for what it’s worth, this feels like a sensible conclusion for the Bears to have targeted Ben Johnson and Mike McCarthy as lead candidates. McCarthy is a seasoned head coach with a track record of putting together quality offenses and developing quarterbacks. Johnson is the young, up-and-coming coach who has done it as a coordinator and figures to have his pick of whatever coaching job he wants in this cycle.
Chicago Bears Head Coach Search: What’s Next?
I’ll be blunt: What’s next is that the waiting game continues. The Bears can’t interview candidates in person who are currently employed by NFL teams until Jan. 20 — at the earliest. And the team certainly cannot have in-person interviews until those candidates’ teams have been eliminated from the postseason. In other words, we still have a ways to go before this search for a new Bears coach reaches its conclusion. However, the reporting from Jordan Schultz above suggests that Chicago’s football team has an idea of who its top candidates are (phew).
Remember when there was “no clarity” regarding who was on the Bears’ radar? Hopefully, this is the first step toward finding that clarity — and a new coach.
Ultimately, my read here is that the Bears do not seem to think they are out on the Ben Johnson sweepstakes. Given all the noise that is coming from Las Vegas that is making it seem as if the Raiders will be Johnson’s landing spot, we know better than to assume things are official until they are officially official. Besides, we are just one year removed from the general assumption that Johnson was set to take the Washington Commanders job. Hence, I am not ready to jump the gun on any coaching news until more info is out there in the public sphere of discussion.
But with that being said, it would make sense if the Bears have two particular targets in mind.
Ben Johnson has long been connected to the Bears. And at one time, it was believed Chicago was the “best bet” to reel in the Lions offensive coordinator. Unfortunately, Tom Brady’s presence has caused a disturbance on the timeline and the Raiders have since emerged as a real threat to swoop in and hire the most popular head coaching candidate in this hiring cycle.
Mike McCarthy is a late-arriving candidate, but his résumé is legit. McCarthy emerged as a possibility for Chicago in early January when reports surfaced that the Bears gig would interest the former Green Bay Packers coach if he didn’t return to the Dallas Cowboys for a sixth year. Nearly two weeks later, McCarthy completed an in-person interview with the team. It’s been a whirlwind. But if the Bears want a head coach who can raise the floor and get this franchise to respectability, then I can understand why McCarthy is a candidate who is high on their wish list.
MORE: Chicago Bears 2025 Head Coach Candidate Interview and Rumor Tracker
Even given that information, I still wouldn’t rule out Baltimore Ravens Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken, Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady, or Detroit Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn. Each of these candidates is still on teams still vying for a Super Bowl run. Plus, they’ve all completed virtual interviews with the Bears. In short order, some of these candidates could become available for in-person interviews. At that point, the plot will thicken once again. So stay tuned.