Bear Digest

How Bears had Ben Johnson at hello despite lure of Tom Brady

In the end, Tom Brady and the Raiders or any other team wasn't going to beat out the Bears for their new coach because he already had Chicago front and center in his mind.
Gene Chamberlain|
President Kevin Warren, GM Ryan Poles and board chairman George McCaskey flank their new Bears head coach, Ben Johnson.
President Kevin Warren, GM Ryan Poles and board chairman George McCaskey flank their new Bears head coach, Ben Johnson. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Tom Brady might be the GOAT and a convincing addition to the Las Vegas Raiders' ownership team as they seek out a new coach but he was never going to be enough to turn the head of
Ben Johnson.

The new Bears coach made it apparent at his opening press conference how much he loves his new job, new city and was headed to Chicago from the start for a few reasons but one in particular.

"The people," Johnson said. "The people, point blank."

There were more and one was how the Bears handled everything, which may surprise many based on their past.

"The interview process was excellent for me," Johnson said Wednesday at Halas Hall. "Answered all the questions I was looking forward to. Not to mention the family atmosphere that they clearly outlined was a huge selling point as well."

The city sold itself to him.

"I had told this search committee that I wanted this job," Johnson said. "And there’s several reasons why I wanted this job. 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 that this place is special. These people are special.

"This is exactly where I wanted to raise my family, my kids. I know we’re going to have so much fun living up here in Chicago."

When Johnson finished with the loss to the Commanders, he was quickly on to dealing with information provided about the Bears' interest from his agent, Highland Park-based Rick Smith. But it was a quick transition because he had always considered Chicago a potential place to go.

"I know it happened fast," Johnson said. "I know it escalated quickly. I really knew where my heart was pointing me."

He discounted the theories about how he actually wanted to leave and come to Chicago last year.

"No, it was not available, OK," he said. "I'll say this, and I said it in the (press conference)—I've always admired what this place could be because I've faced them twice a year over the last six years and I've really felt like it's close to going over the hump."

Even the seemingly endless list of virtual interviews they did didn't cause a problem for Johnson. Board chairman George McCaskey called it all part of the planned process by GM Ryan Poles.

"Ryan said we were going to cast a wide net, so we wanted different backgrounds, different skillsets coming to the table," McCaskey said. "I'm very impressed with the process Ryan laid out, his field of candidates, how thorough he was, how specific he was in communicating to us the traits that we were looking for to bring winning football back to Chicago.”

Poles might have been the key connection in making it all work. He and Johnson had a past, sort of. Although Johnson and Poles were both at Boston College as intern coaches, they were a year apart. But a year isn't really so much.

"It's kind of crazy–there's a lot of crossover with people that we're really close to," Poles said. "Actually, we found out that he worked in a small little cubicle that I did when I was at Boston College just a year after, which is kind of crazy to think about. But, yeah, a lot of our friends, a lot of people that we trust connected both of us. And then when we got on the call and spent time with each other, there was just a vibe to it that was awesome."

Johnson's desire to be Bears coach was apparent to the hiring committee from their virtual interview, although they definitely had to come up with the cash. Estimates say $13 million or more a year.

"The first words out of his mouth were, 'I want this job,' " McCaskey said. "The last thing he said before we turned off the camera was, 'Did I tell you that I want this job?'

"I was especially struck, and he referenced it in his comments, that this is the toughest division in football, and he wants to be here. He wants to go up against Campbell, LaFleur, and O'Connell and wants to succeed in the toughest environment possible. I was very impressed by that."

One big assume obstacle by many was how the Raiders would give Johnson a choice of GMs.

"I like to think that I'm a low-ego guy, low-maintenance guy," Johnson said. "The whole control factor, I don't need that. I just need somebody that I can trust."

Johnson said he hadn't been emotionally ready to leave Detroit after nearly getting to the Super Bowl last year but his time had come. What he needed was alignment, a feeling he was in sync with the situation in Bears personnel and ownership. He got it from the first interview.

"Yeah, I think to me, I talked about alignment last year when I came back to Detroit, and that was really important to me, was to see that the structure setup was conducive to winning," he said. "All those questions were answered throughout the interview process. The guys in front of me right here, George, Kevin (Warren), Ryan, I believe in them, and I really believe that we will be able to turn this place around."

It had also been assumed by many and even reported widely that Johnson wouldn't want to take a job in the NFC North because he had been in Detroit.

"I know this is the toughest division in football right now," Johnson said. "There's three teams that made the playoffs this year. I've got tremendous amount of respect for the coaches and the players in this league. I've been competing against them for the last six years, Dan Campbell, Kevin O'Connell— talk about two guys who are up for coach of the year awards as the season ends here.

"And to be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating (Green Bay's) Matt LaFleur twice a year."

It's an acquired habit the Bears would no doubt love to see continue, now that their hiring process has concluded.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.