Given the Bears’ abundance of wage cap house, talent place expertise and the presence of gifted rookie-contract QB Caleb Williams, it’s simple to see why they imagine their HC submit is probably the most fascinating amongst these which can be anticipated to be out there in 2025. Invoice Belichick, earlier than he made the stunning choice to hitch the school ranks, reportedly shared that view.
The attractiveness of the job in a vacuum is one factor, however a November report instructed that Johnson could avoid the Bears resulting from perceived organizational dysfunction. Nonetheless, subsequent reviews famous that Johnson may indeed consider the Chicago gig, and in the present day, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Community said that the 38-year-old offensive guru is “intrigued” by the place and is prepared to hearken to the Bears’ pitch. As we had beforehand heard that Johnson is just not going to interview merely for the sake of interviewing, any summit he conducts with Bears brass would seemingly point out that he’s ready to simply accept the job if provided.
Whereas the Bears have been stated to be prioritizing a “chief of males” kind of head coach over a candidate with a selected background, Johnson’s repute as an offensive mastermind is just not solely consistent with the development in in the present day’s HC searches, however it might be particularly useful to a crew trying to unlock the potential of a blue chip prospect like Williams.
And, regardless of turning down what was typically thought to be a equally interesting submit with the Commanders within the 2024 hiring interval, Johnson reiterated that he needs to take a crew’s prime job in some unspecified time in the future.
“I feel there’s a burning want in each man to seek out what he’s made out of and push the bounds and see if he’s obtained what it takes,” Johnson stated, by way of Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “And so yeah, there’s a fireplace there. Now, when that point is? I don’t know when that’ll be, however there’s definitely a fireplace there.”
When requested particularly about Williams, Johnson was complimentary however conceded that he had probably not studied the rookie’s tape.
“Hear, it’s been troublesome to take a seat down and simply examine each throw however loads of crossover tape over the course of the 12 months and there’s no query this man’s gifted,” Johnson stated. “I bear in mind standing on the sideline final recreation and simply you may hear the ball whistle by you. He’s obtained fairly a fastball and has some creativity to him, can lengthen performs and is correct down the sphere as properly. Like I stated, I haven’t actually dove in and might let you know way more past that, however he’s been spectacular from afar.”
Whether or not Johnson lastly decides to maneuver on from Detroit might be maybe the highest query relating to the 2025 HC carousel. If he does, it appears the Bears might be firmly within the combine.
Curiously, Johnson – a UNC alum – was not contacted by the school to debate its head teaching emptiness, as Birkett notes in a separate piece. In fact, that job went to Belichick, who will proceed his legendary profession because the Tar Heels’ skipper.
