Bears could lose Ben Johnson coaching sweepstakes to Tom Brady, Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders have emerged as a dark horse in the Ben Johnson sweepstakes, and the Chicago Bears should be very worried.

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If there's one thing Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady proved during his playing career, he doesn't lose. At least he doesn't lose often. So if he has his sights set on Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as the next head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, the Chicago Bears better be worried.

In addition to calling NFL games on Fox, Brady owns a minority share of the Raiders and is expected to have a significant influence on their coaching search.

Johnson, meanwhile, has made it clear he will be calculated and selective in deciding when to move from offensive coordinator to head coach. Most NFL analysts are projecting the Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New England Patriots as the three teams on his shortlist.

The Raiders have now entered the chat.

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"(Johnson) has quickly emerged as the candidate to watch for Las Vegas, as the Raiders -- in a search that prominently includes limited partner Tom Brady -- are willing to wait as long as it takes to secure their potential future head coach," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport shared. "Jed Hughes of the firm Korn Ferry is assisting with that search, according to me and NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo."

According to Rapoport, the Raiders are "enamored with Johnson," which is a scary thought for Bears fans.

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Sure, Chicago's roster is better, and Caleb Williams is a massive draw for any would-be coach. But do we really think Ryan Poles can compete with Brady in a sales pitch? Do we really think Poles can match Brady's Super Bowl pedigree and innate understanding of what it takes to sustain championship success?

The answer is obvious. He can't. But, in some ways, if Johnson decides the Raiders are a better fit for him only because he'll be aligned with Tom Brady? Good luck. The last I checked, Las Vegas still has Gardner Minshew at quarterback. Wins will be very hard to come by.

The Chicago Bears are scheduled to interview Ben Johnson on Saturday. Poles must get a feel for how serious a contender the Bears are for him during that first interview. Otherwise, they risk missing out on the other top head coaching candidates only to watch Johnson depart for Sin City.

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