Bear Digest

Chicago Bears could lose key member of coaching staff after Divisional Round loss

The success of the Chicago Bears' 2025 season will have unintended consequences on the team's coaching staff.
Bryan Perez|
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Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears had a remarkable 2025 season. And with that success will come some unintended consequences for head coach Ben Johnson.

In fact, Johnson is expected to face a similar reality that his former boss, Dan Campbell, faced after the Detroit Lions' 2024 campaign.

MORE: Winners and losers from Chicago Bears' dramatic Divisional Round loss to Rams

Johnson's coaching staff is likely to be poached by teams trying to tap into that Bears magic, and there's already confirmation from ESPN's Adam Schefter about one potential big blow.

"Chiefs requesting permission to interview Eric Bienemy for their OC job, per source," Schefter tweeted.

It's no surprise that Bieniemy ranks high on the Chiefs' offensive coordinator list. He previously held the position under Andy Reid, and the work he did with the Chicago Bears' running backs was nothing short of remarkable in 2025.

Bieniemy was a key factor in D'Andre Swift enjoying the best season of his career. Seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai developed into the 2025 NFL draft's biggest steal under Bienemy's watch, too.

MORE: Caleb Williams reveals what he saw on Bears’ jaw-dropping TD to Cole Kmet

It all amounted to the Bears having one of the NFL's most effective running games.

The Chiefs are expected to have an opening at offensive coordinator, as former Bears head coach Matt Nagy is a leading candidate to land a head coaching job with the Tennessee Titans. There are several other coaching vacancies that will consider Nagy as a top candidate, too.

The good news for Bears fans is that Chicago is protected from the traditional raiding that happens with coaching staffs. Much like the Rams with Sean McVay, the 49ers with Kyle Shanahan, and the Chiefs with Reid, the most important coach on the Bears' staff is the head coach -- Ben Johnson -- who won't be going anywhere for a while.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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