Ben Johnson Proving Elite Coaching is Worth $50 Million in Cap Space

Ben Johnson had the Bears' offense rolling in 2025, and he did it on a shoestring budget.

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Ben Johnson was the hottest name in the head coaching market for two years while serving as offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, and for good reason. He played a pivotal role in turning one of the NFL's most inept franchises into a juggernaut, and as an offensive play caller in an offensive league, he was seen as a premium asset for teams in need of a head coach.

That included the Bears, who dominated their 2025 head coaching hire when they brought Johnson in to replace Matt Ebeflus. Johnson was billed as the kind of offensive guru who could repeat the transformation he had pulled off in Detroit for an equally inept franchise in Chicago. There was some doubt early on about whether or not he could make the leap from offensive coordinator to head coach, but the Bears' awakening on offense in 2025 soon put any such fears to bed.

The transformative effect Johnson had on the Bears was evident on the field, but it becomes even more striking when you consider the supporting cast on his roster. In a recent social media post showing each team's NFL contract allocation by position group, you can see that the Bears' offense accounts for just a fraction of their salary cap. In fact, you almost can't even see most of the plot points for offensive position groups because they're so close to the center of the chart, which is covered by each team's logo.

The Ben Johnson Effect is just getting started

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What does this mean for the Bears? It serves as a reminder that Ben Johnson is capable of getting the absolute most value out of his playmakers. If he can produce a top NFL offense without hardly any salary cap allocated to that side of the ball, imagine what it will look like once they have bona fide superstars.

This is not to say that the Bears will or should go out and pay a big contract to a receiver or running back. However, this illuminates what the path forward for the Bears will look like as their homegrown stars continue to come up in the NFL. As good as they looked in 2025, they all still have a long way to go before they hit their ceilings. Caleb Williams is still developing, and Ryan Poles is just waiting for the green light to sign him to a massive contract extension. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden both could develop into top-flight receivers, and tight end Colston Loveland already looks like the next Travis Kelce.

Johnson's playmakers are just getting started in their NFL journeys, and that means that the best is yet to come for the Chicago Bears.

The Bottom Line

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Of course, as Johnson's playmakers continue to grow and earn contract extensions, it's going to make Ryan Poles' job significantly harder. He'll have to juggle contracts more carefully, and much of the spending that went towards the defense over the last two years will need to be reserved for what hopefully becomes a dynamic offensive core.

But that's the name of the game in the NFL. You need great players, especially quarterbacks, to win Super Bowls, but you have to pay them their market value. These are issues for Poles to handle. As for the fans, they can rest confidently knowing that they've already seen Ben Johnson take a bunch of young, still-developing players and turn them into an elite offense. Just imagine what he can do when those same playmakers are in their prime.

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