Windy City Gridiron
The Bears got their man in Ben Johnson. And ECD will review what had been a tremendous process featuring no fewer than 17 confirmed interviews.
The buzz and excitement surrounding the Chicago Bears and their hiring of Ben Johnson as the 19th head coach in franchise history is at an all-time high. Altogether, no fewer than 17 interviews were done in a true example of “leaving no stone unturned” during their search. It also amazes me just how many people from my list wound up taking interviews with Chicago.
In total I had covered 30 different names between my first two parts before requests were formally submitted. Granted, 2 of those guys were names I didn’t think would interview whatsoever — Kyle Shanahan and Deion Sanders — and another 4 were names I didn’t want any part of - Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, Hue Jackson, Mike McCarthy. One of those latter names did receive ample consideration - Mike McCarthy. Otherwise my initial pool of coaches I realistically felt would get considered was 24.
Out of my initial list the following coaches were interviewed at least once.
A request to interview was submitted for Washington Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury yet that will obviously never happen now.
The following coaches weren’t on my initial list and would receive interviews.
It was speculated Vance Joseph would also get an interview, but one was never scheduled. They also inquired on a potential trade for Steelers HC Mike Tomlin.
When analyzing my “hits” and “misses” the numbers go to 15 out of 24 different options I covered became confirmed with the Bears’ latest search for a head coach. Not bad, all things considered. Especially when considering how unpredictable things get at Halas Hall.
And now... we can finally say the Bears got their man in Ben Johnson. How we got here was an exhausting and unprecedented journey.
Just being able to type that felt so damn good. He was my clear #1 choice from the very get-go of this process for Halas Hall. By many accounts, the Bears’ front office concurred with that recommendation. They didn’t even wait for a 2nd interview - the search team led by Ryan Poles and Kevin Warren called his camp to discuss a contract not even a day after the Detroit Lions’ surprising upset loss to the Washington Commanders at home. They sealed the deal and had an agreement in place before flying him to Chicago on a private jet.
His entrance alongside Ryan Poles...
