Skip Bayless questions Bears' Ben Johnson hire
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The Chicago Bears moved quickly to lock down the team's next head coach. While the Detroit Lions' season ended in heartbreak after losing to the Washington Commanders in the Divisional round on Saturday, the Bears hired former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson on Monday.
Johnson was one of the most coveted coaches available in this hiring cycle and the Bears were determined to land him. While Chicago fans gave Johnson a hero's welcome when he arrived at Halas Hall, not everyone is convinced that he's the right coach to lead the franchise.
Haver of takes Skip Bayless dumped ice-cold water all over the Bears' new head coach hire. "[Johnson is] obviously a very good play-caller, though he had lots of Pro Bowl talent to call upon. But what has he done to show you he’ll make a great charismatic, dynamic leader of a football team?" Bayless pondered via his official account on X.
"For Caleb and the Bears’ sake, I hope Ben Johnson turns out to be a great choice," Bayless added.
While Johnson has 13 years of experience as an NFL coach, including three seasons as the Lions' offensive coordinator, he has yet to lead a team as a head coach. Still, Johnson has had tremendous success orchestrating Detroit's offense. During his tenure as Lions' OC, the team never finished worse than fourth overall on offense. In 2024, Johnson led the league's top scoring offense as Detroit averaged 33.2 points per game.
Did the Bears make the right decision in hiring Ben Johnson as HC?
Still, Johnson is a young, first-time head coach. And while the Bears are focused on his ability to get the most out of a quarterback, with the hope that he can do for Caleb Williams in Chicago what he did for Jared Goff in Detroit, it's unclear if Johnson can lead a football team, as opposed to overseeing one side of the ball.
However, the same questions can be asked of any first-time head coach. There will be doubters until Johnson proves he's up to the unique challenges of the job. Either way, the Bears have made their decision. And they paid up to obtain Johnson's services. Reports indicate Chicago made him the seventh-highest paid coach in the league with a salary of $13 million a year. Of course, if they didn't, another team certainly would have, as Johnson was a top candidate for several franchises.
Time will tell if the naysayers like Bayless are correct. But for now, Bears fans are thrilled with the hire. Johnson already made history as the first Lions' coordinator to land a head coaching gig since 1963. Now he'll attempt to lead the Bears to their first championship since 1985.
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