Why Ben Johnson chose the Chicago Bears, and what it means for Caleb Williams’ future

Another domino in the coaching world fell as the Chicago Bears officially hired Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The move comes just days after the top-seeded Lions were eliminated from the postseason by the Washington Commanders, freeing up Johnson to focus on his next steps.

Johnson has been one of the most in-demand head coaching candidates of the last few cycles. Since becoming Detroit’s offensive coordinator in 2022, the Lions have finished top-four in total offense each of the last three seasons. Three of the four highest-scoring seasons in the Lions’ 95-year history came under Johnson, including a franchise-record-setting 564-point season in 2024.

One of the biggest drivers behind Johnson’s selection was undoubtedly a chance to work with 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams. In Detroit Johnson undertook a similar developmental role with Jared Goff, who became one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL working in Johnson’s system. Goff posted three straight years of at least 4,000 yards under Johnson and set career highs in nearly every passing metric during the 2024 season. While Williams showed flashes of greatness during his rookie season, his real development begins now that Johnson is in the fold — Dianna and Chase, who played under Ben Johnson in Detroit, explain why.

The partial transcript below has been edited for clarity. You can listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch on YouTube above.

Dianna: We just had this moment of like, “Ben Johnson needs to go to Chicago and call it.” But I had known that he had some questions about the setup there, with [Bears president] Kevin Warren and [general manager] Ryan Poles, just some curiosities of how that would work. The whole idea that he wanted full control and full power, that’s definitely part of it. He was interested in bringing people he knows, people he trusts. In the end, he makes the decision to actually go to the organization where he’s not getting all that. This wasn’t about money. This wasn’t about roster control and power play. This was about one thing: Caleb Williams. This is the organization that’s got the talented quarterback. Because when you compare it, Tom Brady had a hard argument to make without having a quarterback in Vegas.

Chase: I think that for me, it’s crazy because I’m thinking about the roster of the Raiders and yeah, they got some players, right? Maxx Crosby. Then you just start really looking at like one through 53 of the Raiders roster. I’m like, “ehh.” You’ve got Brady, and he’s promising all these things, but there’s actually nothing there. And then you look at Jacksonville like, ehhhhh, Trevor Lawrence, OK. He’s on a veteran deal making $53 million a year. The roster control there, Trent Baalke, I don’t know what they’re going do, one through 53, I’m like “ehh.” It’s the Bears. What are you thinking about? I think he probably had a moment of clarity with this, like “Hey, like we have a legitimate offense.” They need three offensive linemen. They probably need another skill position, tight end — other than a Cole Kmet-type guy, this F who can do it all in his offense. But the thing about Caleb Williams is that there’s no doubt in my mind that he will be successful with Ben Johnson. Ben Johnson, quarterback whisperer, a top-five offense in every single year coordinating, in fact No. 1 or 2 a couple of years in a row. It’s just crazy how this stuff works out. I want to ask you this, because I thought the first thing that came to mind when all this news broke was he didn’t have an in-person meeting. He had a Zoom meeting. That’s crazy!

Dianna: Well remember, he wanted this Bears job last year. The Bears stuck with Matt Eberflus. They rolled it out and, well, it is what it is. We know what happened there. He’s had his eyes on Chicago. I do think, with all the options on the table and you’re listening to so many different people — and there were a lot of people in his ear, I’ve talked to people who’ve talked to him, too — everyone is chatting with him and telling him what he should be doing, and he’s open to guidance. I think, for the Bears, they’ve gone through this process of interviewing almost a dozen candidates. And while I know that they really liked Mike Vrabel, and I do think if Vrabel didn’t take New England, they would have hired Mike Vrabel. I think Ben Johnson was a home run for them as well. I think this is why I said that this whole coaching cycle was really about Vrabel and Johnson. Who was going to get them first? Timing is important. You and I talk about this with players with free agency.

Chase: Timing is everything.

Dianna: Obviously, we know Ben Johnson had been coaching through this playoffs. The bye in the first round made it complicated for teams to jump in on him. Whereas we knew Vrabel was able to talk to Chicago right away because he didn’t have a job. What if that panned out? What if Robert Kraft decided to stick with Jerod Mayo? There are so many little moments, little things in decisions that could have affected it. But in the end, I think for the Bears, this is such a win.

Chase: It’s a home run hire.

Dianna: This is such a big day for Bears fans. And for Caleb Williams!

Chase: Well, it’s one of the most important hires in the history of the of the franchise, to be honest with you. They’ve been so down and out with all these different head coaches, all these different quarterbacks. They finally get the No. 1  pick in Caleb Williams, which is supposed to be this generational guy. And yeah, he played well at times this year. Yeah, he’s struggled this year. But if you look at the continuity of the offense, there’s just nothing there. One game, they’re under center, play action. The next game they’re this college USC offense. There was no rhyme or reason. When I’m a quarterback, I want to know the “why” on plays. Why are we doing this? Why are we getting under center? And I don’t think that Caleb Williams had a grasp on the “why.” That’s all that Caleb Williams will have a grasp on with Ben Johnson. That’s how he works. I was with him in 2020 when he was a tight ends coach for the Detroit Lions. You could just tell. Super smart, really low ego, high analytical guy, really understands relationships well. Obviously will take a lot of what Dan Campbell does from the leader men aspect and you know, put his own twist on it as well

Dianna: That was going to be my question for you. We joke on the show all the time about the “leader of men.” While we mock it, we know what they mean. They want these type of leaders to galvanize the locker room. Is he like that?

Chase: Yeah. He’s definitely on the — not shy. Shy is the wrong word. I’m trying to find a word for it.

Dianna: Calmer?

Chase: Calm, yeah. It’s a little bit more laid back, a little bit more calm. He’s definitely not Dan Campbell biting kneecaps off. He has his own certain way. But I do think him being with Dan Campbell so long, and just the type of head coach that Dan Campbell is, I truly believe he’s going to take some of what Dan Campbell did and he’s going to do it. He’s gonna put his own spin on it, but at the end of the day, this was always about, like you said, Caleb Williams and getting an offensive mind. The number one thing, if I had to point to Caleb Williams’ issues at times this past year, it was all about timing. Timing within the pocket, timing in the passing game, going through progressions. That is what needs to get fixed. This hire fixes it.

(Photo: Daniel Bartel / Imagn Images)