Bears' Head Coach Ben Johnson Gets Prestigious Honor After Remarkable Season

After leading the Bears' turnaround that led to a division title and a playoff win, Ben Johnson is a candidate for NFL Coach of the Year.

Ben Johnson | David Banks-Imagn Images

While some Chicago Bears fans are still in mourning over last weekend's gut-wrenching overtime playoff loss, head coach Ben Johnson has said he's already back to "square one" and ready to move on to the 2026 season.

Before that happens, however, Johnson will have to take one last bow for his performance in 2025.

MORE: NFL experts criticizing Bears' Ben Johnson for not trying 2-point conversion vs. Rams

The rookie head coach who arrived from the Detroit Lions and led a crazy turnaround in Chicago is one of five finalists for NFL Coach of the Year. In 2024 the Bears went 5-12 and suffered a 10-game losing streak. This season they went 11-6, won the NFC North, beat the rival Green Bay Packers in a playoff game at Soldier Field and set an NFL record with seven comeback wins after trailing in the final two minutes.

Johnson is credited with developing quarterback Caleb Williams, overseeing a defense that led the NFL in takeaways and instilling a never-give-up attitude that presented fans with a decade's worth of dramatic endings in on season.

MORE: Angry Bears fans react to Rams loss with trashed TVs and calls to trade Caleb Williams

2025 NFL Coach of the Year Finalists

• Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars
• Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears
• Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks
• Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
• Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots

The winner will be revealed during the NFL Honors show on Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. on NFL Network. Of the league's nine categories, the only representative from the Bears is Johnson.

Ben Johnson | David Banks-Imagn Images

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• Former NFL star says Caleb Williams is already the best Bears QB ever

• The Ozzy Trapilo injury news is even worse than we thought

• Caleb Williams and DJ Moore grate cheese postgame, embarrass the Packers even more

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