Bears Coach Ben Johnson Sent Clear Message About Focus Amid Myles Garrett Buzz

Ben Johnson brushed off Myles Garrett trade buzz, Caleb Williams' Madden cover and QB rankings, making it clear the Bears coach cares only about winning.

Bears' Ben Johnson during the 2026 NFL Annual League Meeting at the Arizona Biltmore. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Nobody can ever accuse Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson of not being locked in.

We saw just how locked in Johnson was on several different occasions during his media availability on Wednesday.

Before OTAs practice, Johnson was asked for his thoughts on the Los Angeles Rams' blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns for superstar edge rusher Myles Garrett.

"Not a whole lot of thought goes into it. We got our own business to take care of," Johnson said.

Then, Johnson was asked two questions about Caleb Williams, one on his being on the cover of Madden NFL 27, and another pertaining to if Williams can be a top-five quarterback in 2026.

"No reaction," he said in response to the question about the Madden cover.

"What we are concerned about is winning ball games. I don't know how you can judge top 5, top 10. He's on the right track," Johnson said of Williams' potential ranking.

Locked. In.

How Myles Garrett trade impacts Bears

Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Bears do not have the Browns or Rams on their 2026 regular season schedule, so there's no impact there.

However, we know the path to the Super Bowl could very well go through the Rams, and that was the case for the Bears last season, when the Rams eliminated them from the playoffs.

A positive for the Bears when it comes to the Garrett trade is it may prevent the Rams from being able to extend key defenders like Kobie Turner and Byron Young, both of whom are slated to become free agents next year.

If they hit the open market, it's very conceivable the Bears will have interest, as the interior of the defensive line and edge rusher remain huge concerns for Chicago after the team didn't adequately address either spot this offseason.

Phone-gate solved

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

During his presser, Johnson was interrupted by a reporter's cell phone that rang not once, but twice while he was answering a question.

Johnson was not happy about it and stopped the presser to hand the phone to the reporter whose identity wasn't known at first.

"Somebody wanna take their phone so I'm not interrupted again," a clearly perturbed Johnson said.

We now know it was Jay Cohen of the Associated Press, who took to X to apologize for his mistake.

"Saw some people — some joking, some serious — pointing at various people on the beat for this. It was my phone," Cohen said. "My apologies all around. Won’t happen again.

Saw some people - some joking, some serious - pointing at various people on the #Bears beat for this. It was my phone. My apologies all around. Won’t happen again. https://t.co/RMFHfW8bvg

— Jay Cohen (@jcohenap) June 3, 2026

Cohen is lucky Johnson didn't have him running laps at practice.

If he was as locked in as Johnson, this wouldn't have happened.