NFL coaching news: Lions OC Ben Johnson leaves to become Bears head coach

As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and confirmed by several other NFL insiders, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is finalizing terms to become Chicago Bears‘ next head coach.

Johnson has served as the Lions’ offensive coordinator for the past three years, producing top-five scoring in each season. This year, the Lions led the NFL with 33.2 points per game. match. Johnson had also interviewed for the Patriots, Raiders and Jaguars in this hiring cycle, as well as eight other head coaching jobs in the previous two offseasons.

It’s a tough loss for the Lions offense and quarterback Jared Goff, who had built a strong relationship with the Lions offensive coordinator. It’s an even harder pill to swallow that Johnson is now heading to a division rival. He will now work with quarterback and 2024 first overall pick Caleb Williams to help turn around a Bears offense that hasn’t ranked in the top half in scoring since 2018.

Now we wait to see if Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is also on the move.

According to reports, Johnson is expected to hire Dennis Allen as his defensive coordinator. With Allen’s ties to the Saints and Dan Campbell, he would have made a logical choice to replace Glenn if Detroit finds itself with a defensive coordinator vacancy.

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