Will Ben Johnson become the Next Permanent Head Coach of the Chicago Bears?

The Chicago Bears are looking for a new head coach after a disastrous second half of the season. Things started positively for the Monsters of the Midway as they went 4-2 from their opening five games before things unravelled following a memorable defeat to the Washington Commanders. Their confidence was visibly shattered by a 52-yard Hail Mary from QB Jayden Daniels which helped to secure a narrow 18-15 victory at the end of October.

BetEntOdds.com is predicting a 35% chance that Ben Johnson will become the next head coach of the Chicago Bears ::: Discover the current Odds now HERE 

Previous Coach

Matt Eberflus was shown the door following a Thanksgiving defeat to the Lions. Their opponents ended their seven-match losing streak to edge past the Bears forcing the club’s hierarchy to act decisively and sack their head coach the following day. Offensive co-ordinator Thomas Brown was handed the reins for the remainder of the season, yet he wasn’t able to turn the tide. The Bears ended the campaign with a 5-12 record resulting in a hugely underwhelming campaign for the franchise.

Eberflus ended his stint with the worst record in one-score games in NFL history and fans had called him out on a number of questionable coaching decisions. There were also some murmurings of discontent in the locker room during the Bears’ losing sequence.

Unfortunately, Eberfus made history by becoming the first Bears coach to be sacked during the season.

Who is Ben Johnson?

Here’s what Chicago Bears fans need to know about Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

Johnson interviewed with the Bears over the weekend. https://t.co/XJg0CKU5DI

— Bears Insider (@bears_insider) January 13, 2025

The odds are suggesting that Ben Johnson is the clear favourite to take over from Matt Eberfus on a permanent basis. The Lions offensive co-ordinator has been interviewed for the post, although he has also been linked with the Raiders vacancy.

Johnson was a major factor in improving the Lions’ organization and the Bears’ general manager Ryan Poles was clearly impressed by his ability to improve a team’s output. As one of the hottest names on the head coach carousel, it isn’t a surprise to see Ben Johnson linked with top jobs and he has been identified as the man to build the team around underperforming young QB Caleb Williams.

Having spent three seasons occupying various roles on the Lions’ coaching team, he should be experienced enough to make the step up next season.

Who are the Other Candidates?

According to Pete Martuneac of Sports Illustrated, Mike McCarthy is set to be interviewed by the GM Ryan Poles this week. The BetEntOdds.com odds suggest that there is a 30% chance that the Cowboys employee could become the Franchise’s 19th head coach. Having been unable to agree a new deal with his the Dallas franchise, McCarthy is a high-profile free agent and understandably, he has found himself in demand.

 

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He has proven fairly adept at guiding teams to post-season, yet he has struggled to make it through the play-offs. He would bring some much-needed experience to the struggling side.

Kliff Kingsbury’s name has been strongly linked to the vacancy due to his existing relationship with QB Caleb Williams. The pair worked together at USC. He has caught the eye at the Commanders this season as offensive co-ordinator and has previous experience of being a head coach having spent three seasons at the Cardinals. During his stint, the Arizona franchise reached the play-offs in 2021 and were ranked top ten for offense, rushing and touchdowns.

Ryan Poles’ wide-ranging search is also likely to consider former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. The 73-year old is one of the most experienced names on the coaching carousel and has a knack for guiding teams to the end-of-season play-offs. The Super Bowl winner has a reputation for significantly improving defensive numbers and has reportedly been interviewed for the role.

If you believe that Mike McCarthy will be the new Bears head coach, you could win €400 by betting €100 at Bet365 if it happens.