Windy City Gridiron
The Chicago Bears have three individuals who cracked the 2025 version of The Athlatic’s NFL 50 under 40: Young coaches ascending, along with other league difference-makers list.
It’s their list of up-and-coming coaches, executives, personalities, and other people who significantly impact the League and whom they believe will continue to do so in the coming decades.
As expected, new Bears’ head coach Ben Johnson, who was the hottest head coach candidate this cycle, was named to the 2025 list. Johnson has designed and called one of the best offenses in the NFL for three straight seasons, and now he has his first chance to run his own team.
Here’s what The Athletic had to say about the 38-year-old Johnson.
Johnson was a top head coaching candidate in multiple hiring cycles before landing with the Bears this winter. His knack for creating in general is an early trademark — whether that means plays and play calls, scheme and design, strategy or relationships with his players. Johnson, the former star Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, is part of an ascending wave of head coaches such as Dan Campbell or Kevin O’Connell who are experts in certain areas like game strategy, quarterbacking and/or leadership but who can also apply a broader lens to their entire ecosystem. In fact, he seems a cross between the both of them — now his NFC North rivals. Johnson’s next moves in Chicago with 2024 No. 1 pick Caleb Williams will be a big NFL story in 2025.
Johnson’s boss, general manager Ryan Poles, is just one year older than Johnson, and now that he’s landed Johnson, the narrative has shifted back to the positive after a disappointing 2024 season.
Here’s what The Athletic had to say about Poles.
Now in his fourth year as general manager in Chicago after 13 seasons with the Chiefs, Poles has remade the Bears’ roster thanks to a strong emphasis on building through the draft. He also has made some strategic trades and shrewd free-agent signings to meet the Bears’ need for veterans at key areas. At 39, Poles is the second-youngest general manager behind Cleveland’s Andrew Berry (37). Colleagues say Poles is a meticulous planner who encourages input, and is big on player and staff development. And, “when it’s go-time,” Poles executes and leads with decisiveness. Poles still is looking for his first winning season as a general manager, but just landed a top head coaching candidate in Ben Johnson, so Chicago appears to be trending in the right direction.
The third Bear on the list is a finalist for the general manager job with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago assistant general manager Ian Cunningham. There’s been a lot of buzz around the 39-year-old and the Jags’ job, and while their search was unconventional, it looks like Cunningham’s days at Halas Hall are numbered.
Cunningham, a former University of Virginia offensive lineman who studied education and psychology, has put his expertise in those fields to use while rising through the...
