| Chicago Bears | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1986-05-11)May 11, 1986 (age 39) Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | A. C. Reynolds(Asheville, North Carolina) |
| College | North Carolina (2004–2007) |
| Position | Quarterback |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season | 11–6 (.647) |
| Postseason | 1–1 (.500) |
| Career | 12–7 (.632) |
| Coaching profile atPro Football Reference | |
Benjamin David Johnson (born May 11, 1986) is an American professionalfootball coach who is thehead coach for theChicago Bears of theNational Football League (NFL). His NFL coaching career began as an assistant with theMiami Dolphins in 2012, coaching quarterbacks, tight ends, and wide receivers. Johnson later joined theDetroit Lions in 2019, rising tooffensive coordinator in 2022 and leading the team to a top-five offense in every season, including the top-ranked during the2024 season. In his first season as head coach of the Bears, he led them to an 11-6 regular season record and the team's first playoff win since the2010 season.
Johnson was born inCharleston, South Carolina on May 11, 1986. His father, Don Johnson, was a high school principal who coached atIdaho State University andThe Citadel, and his mother, Gail Johnson, was a middle school teacher.[1][2]
He attended and playedquarterback atA. C. Reynolds High School inAsheville, North Carolina. His junior year, he helped lead the team to aNorth Carolina 4A state championship, and as a senior, was named conference player of the year.[2][3] Johnson graduated in the top five of his high school class.[2]
Johnson was awalk-on for theTar Heels at theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2004 to 2007, where he competed as a reserve quarterback.[4] He graduated in 2008 with degrees inmathematics andcomputer science.[2][5]
After college graduation, Johnson spent a year outside of football, working instead as a software developer inDurham, North Carolina for the company eTeleNext.[6][7]
Inspired to get into coaching by his offensive coordinator at UNC,John Shoop, Johnson was hired as agraduate assistant for theBoston College Eagles in 2009.[1] He was promoted to tight ends coach in 2011.[8]
Johnson was hired as an offensive assistant for theMiami Dolphins in February 2012.[9] He was promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2013 and was promoted to tight ends coach in 2015 under interim coachDan Campbell after head coachJoe Philbin was fired following a 1–3 start.[10] Johnson was retained by new head coachAdam Gase, named assistant wide receivers coach in 2017 and promoted to wide receivers coach the following season.[11]
Johnson was hired as an offensive quality control coach for theDetroit Lions in 2019.[12] He was promoted to tight ends coach in 2020 and was retained after Campbell was named head coach in 2021, following the firing ofMatt Patricia.[13][14] The same season, he would be promoted to pass game coordinator afterAnthony Lynn was stripped of play-calling duties following an 0–8 start.[1]
Johnson was promoted tooffensive coordinator in February 2022,[15] receiving head coaching interest by the end of the season after leading the Lions to a top five offense with eight games over 30 points, a single-season franchise record.[5]
He remained in Detroit for the2023 season, despite being heavily pursued by theCarolina Panthers,[16] in which the team finished third in total offense, won the division for the first time since 1993, and defeated the Los Angeles Rams 24–23 in theWild Card Round to win a playoff game for the first time since 1991.[17] The Lions would later defeat theTampa Bay Buccaneers in theDivisional Round to advance to the2023 NFC Championship Game, but ultimately lose to theSan Francisco 49ers.[18][19] In both the NFC Divisional Round against the Buccaneers and the NFC Championship against the 49ers, Johnson's offense put up over thirty points and over 100 rushing yards. On January 30, 2024, Johnson announced he would be returning to the Lions despite being considered a prime head coaching candidate for both theWashington Commanders andSeattle Seahawks.[20]
During the2024 season, Johnson called the league's top ranked offense (33.2 ppg) and set multiple records, including most 40 point games without any turnovers, (5) and achieving the highest PPG in franchise history.[21] The Lions had six games scoring at least 40 points, and became the first team in NFL history to produce four different players with 1,000 scrimmage yards, with two wide receivers and two running backs.[22][23] The Lions secured the top seed and a bye week in the playoffs, but lost in NFCDivisional Round to theWashington Commanders.[24]
After the regular season, Johnson interviewed with theChicago Bears,Jacksonville Jaguars,Las Vegas Raiders, andNew England Patriots for their vacant head coach positions.[25]
On January 21, 2025, Johnson was hired as the head coach of theChicago Bears, replacingMatt Eberflus.[26] He hiredDeclan Doyle as offensive coordinator and namedDennis Allen as defensive coordinator, while retaining Eberflus' special teams coordinatorRichard Hightower; Allen had caught Johnson's interest when he was theNew Orleans Saints head coach, while Doyle's role was to help him strategize a game plan.[27]Antwaan Randle El andJ. T. Barrett also followed Johnson from Detroit as assistant coaches.[28][29]
Johnson began his Bears tenure with back-to-back losses, blowing an 11-point lead to theMinnesota Vikings and losing 52–21 in his return to Detroit.[30][31] He recorded his first win in Week 3 against theDallas Cowboys, whose defense was coached by Eberflus.[32] A Week 13 win over the defending championPhiladelphia Eagles was followed by Johnson celebrating shirtless in the Bears' locker room.The Wieners Circle, ahot dog stand in Chicago, had promised to give away hot dogs if Johnson took his shirt off to celebrate a win;[33] the giveaway was held the following Tuesday.[34] The Bears finished the regular season 11–6, the best record in the NFC North. Johnson became the third Bears head coach to win ten or more games in his first season,[35] and the first to win his division sinceMatt Nagy in 2018.[36]
The2025–26 NFL playoffs marked Johnson's postseason debut, which began with the Bears defeating theGreen Bay Packers in the wild card round for their first playoff win since 2010, making Johnson the first Bears coach to win a playoff game sinceLovie Smith. With their win, Johnson became the first head coach in Bears history to win a playoff game in his first season. Following the game, he had a hasty handshake with Packers coachMatt LaFleur before proclaiming in the locker room, "Fuck the Packers! Fuck them. Fucking hate those guys."[37] Johnson defended his conduct as emblematic of theBears–Packers rivalry, having previously stated at his Bears introductory press conference that he "enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year" with the Lions.[38] The Bears' season ended the next week in a 20–17 overtime loss to theLos Angeles Rams.[39] Johnson concluded his first season as Bears head coach with 12 total wins and seven losses, including sevencomeback victories; he described his team as "[believing] all year long that we could find a way to win each and every week."[40]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CHI | 2025 | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 1st in NFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toLos Angeles Rams inNFC Divisional Game |
| Total | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |||
Johnson cited his offensive scheme as being influenced byKevin Rogers,Darrell Bevell,Adam Gase,Clyde Christensen,Mike Martz, andJohn Shoop.[1]
He has been described as a "perfectionist" who prioritizes attention to detail.[41] Offensive linemanJonah Jackson, who played for Johnson with the Lions and Bears, noted that "everything he does is very detailed and meticulous".[42] Johnson is also known for aggressive strategic decisions such as frequently attempting to convert fourth downs rather than punt or kick the field goal, a trait he learned under Campbell.[43][44]
During the 2025 season, Johnson adopted a post-game victory celebration in which he leads the Bears in the following chant: "Good, better best... Never let it rest... until your good gets better, and your better gets best!"[45] He learned the mantra at A. C. Reynolds High School, where it has been a team motto since 1994.[46]
Johnson is married to his high-school sweetheart, Jessica, with whom he has three children.[47]
He is a fan of theChicago Cubs. His family holdsseason tickets, which his younger brother applied for in 2007, and he attends at least one Cubs game annually.[48]