NFL Trade Rumors
Lions QB Jared Goff gave the new Bears HC Ben Johnson his full endorsement and said he’d always support him after they worked together.
“He’s a guy that’s made a ton of difference in my career,” Goff said, via PFT. “I’m obviously a big fan of his. I was joking with him, I wish he didn’t have to be in our division so I didn’t have to try to beat him twice a year. But he’s going to do a great job. Hopefully not too good, though, with us being in the division together still. But I’ll always be a fan of his and we’ll always have a good relationship.”
The Bears emphasized “culture and the quarterback” during their head coaching interviews and were convinced Ben Johnson would be able to help QB Caleb Williams grow in his second season.
“Having gone through the process, and having interviewed an extensive field of candidates when Ben was clearly No. 1, and [GM] Ryan [Poles] said we need to go get him, you had to be ready to move,” Bears chairman George McCaskey said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.
“The first words out of his mouth were, ‘I want this job,'” McCaskey added.
Johnson wants people to know that he is going to be more than just an offensive-minded head coach.
“Listen, it’s no secret that I was being portrayed as an offensive guru,” Johnson said at his introductory news conference. “Whether I was quality control, position coach, tight end coach, receivers coach, coordinator, I’m whatever the job requires me to be. And so that’s where I really wanted to let those people know on every call that I had, that there was more substance than maybe I articulated in any media session or what you might see on the sideline.”
A team source also told ESPN that Johnson never requested a change of general manager.
“I truly believe in the character and integrity of this man,” Johnson said of Poles. “… We are going to be locked at the hip and connected every step of the way with all the decisions that are made.”
“There’s several reasons why I wanted this job,” Johnson continued. *“The first is, this place. For the last 10-plus years, my family and I have been coming up for a Cubs series every summer. And it doesn’t take long to realize this place is special. These people are special. No. 2, is this roster that Ryan’s already built. It is stocked. It’s loaded. Everyone wants to talk about the quarterback and Caleb, I’m excited to work with you, but it’s going to take more than just...
