CHGO Digest: Bears can interview Ben Johnson in-person

Good morning, friends!

Chicago deserves playoff action.

Philadelphia had heavy snow on Sunday, Buffalo had frigid temps. Football weather. Bear Weather.

Instead, Chicago’s win this weekend? That Ben Johnson became available much earlier than we thought.

Soldier Field hasn’t hosted postseason action since 2018; it hasn’t seen a Bears playoff win since 2011. Fourteen years is too long for one of football’s most storied franchises.

Since Super Bowl XX, Soldier Field has hosted just 13 playoff games. Unfortunately, it hasn’t translated to victories for Chicago, who is 5-8 at home in the postseason since Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan were carried off on their players’ shoulders.

However, Monday begins a critical week in Chicago with the hopes of turning around their fortunes. The Bears could have their head coach hired by Friday–maybe even earlier–thanks to the Commanders and Bills.

: CHGO BEARS COACHING TRACKER

Buffalo OC Joe Brady is the last interviewee from the Bears’ first round of head coaching interviews still in the playoffs. Chicago also requested to speak with Washington OC Kliff Kingsbury, but that hasn’t happened yet.

However, the Commanders’ shocking upset in Detroit on Saturday makes Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn available for a second interview as early as today. Ravens OC and Wheaton, Ill. native Todd Monken can interview for a second time this week, too.

Maybe the Bears really want to speak with Kingsbury, or maybe they loved Brady. If not, we might be in the homestretch of a coaching search that’s yielded 20 candidates and 17 confirmed interviews.

— Patrick Norton

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Ben Johnson or bust?

Ben Johnson’s been the No. 1 target for most Bears fans since Matt Eberflus was fired after Thanksgiving. But the Bears aren’t alone in pursuing the top offensive playcaller available.

The Raiders and Jaguars are considered in the mix, too. Las Vegas’ courtship of Johnson reportedly includes an interview with former Lions senior director of player personnel and current Commanders assistant general manager Lance Newmark for the Raiders’ GM vacancy.

It is hard to ignore Newmark in all of this due to his connection with Johnson in Detroit. It’s also hard to ignore the Raiders’ lack of a long-term plan at the quarterback position.

If Johnson can turn Jared Goff into a formidable pro quarterback, maybe he can do the same with Aidan O’Connell. Or…you know…Caleb Williams is waiting for proper coaching in Chicago, too.

The biggest questions facing Johnson as a candidate apply to just about every first-time head coaching candidate:

1. Can he lead a locker room (especially through losses)?
2. Can he manage a game and the clock?
3. Can he be successful without the resources he’s leaving behind?

Nobody can be sure, but it’s a necessary risk for a franchise that has won 15 games over the last three seasons.

Don’t forget about the other candidates, either.

Aaron Glenn navigated a plethora of obstacles, with injuries galore on Detroit’s defense. Despite the Lions’ short playoff run, he’ll get a head coaching job this cycle. He’s a favorite for either the Saints or Jets vacancy.

If Todd Monken were 15 years younger, the Ravens OC would probably be neck-and-neck with Johnson as the top offensive candidate available. If Chicago doesn’t mind hiring a 58-year-old to connect with the locker room, Monken would be a solid hire.

Mike McCarthy is still lurking. The former Packers and Cowboys head coach has a history of quarterback development that can’t be ignored, playing a pivotal role in the beginning of Aaron Rodgers’ career. McCarthy is connected to Saints GM Mickey Loomis, too.

Brian Flores met with the Bears virtually on Saturday. The former Dolphins HC and current Vikings DC is an interesting candidate. The Bears’ decision-makers would have to be absolutely sold on Flores’ plan for building the team around Caleb Williams considering past tensions with Tua Tagovailoa while in Miami.

Reminder: Joe Brady and Kliff Kingsbury won’t be able to interview until after Championship Weekend.

Why Ben Johnson is a strong head coaching candidate for Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

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Trivia!

Q: The Chicago Bears won eight NFL Championships before the Super Bowl era, winning their last in 1963. Where was the game played?

BONUS: Who was named the game’s MVP?

Tweet me @patdnorton with your answer!

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Sammy’s home

Slammin’ Sammy Sosa made his triumphant return to the Cubs in front of hundreds at the team’s fan convention over the weekend. Sosa hadn’t appeared at any team-sanctioned events for 17 years due to a strained relationship between the former slugger and the club.

Always a showman, Sosa entered the stage on Friday carrying an American flag, mimicking what he did in Sept. 2001 in the Cubs’ first game at Wrigley Field following the September 11th attacks.

On Friday night, the club announced Sosa and former Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee would be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame later this year.

READ MORE: [Wyllys] Cubs Convention 2025: Sammy, the Dodgers, the Bullpen, and Kyle Tucker

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ROUNDUP

• Former White Sox manager Jeff Torborg passed away on Sunday. Torborg won AL Manager of the Year with Chicago in 1990 and won 250 games in three seasons as the club’s skipper. Torborg was 83.

• The Bulls dropped their fifth straight on Sunday night, falling to the lowly Trailblazers, 113-102. Five consecutive losses is the longest skid for Chicago since Nov. 2023. The Bulls are back in action tonight in Los Angeles against the Clippers. Chicago hasn’t lost six games in a row since Feb. 2023.

• Notre Dame. Ohio State. Fighting Irish. Buckeyes. College football’s first-ever 12-team playoff comes to an end TONIGHT! Check out what ALLCITY draft expert Fran Duffy is looking for in tonight’s championship game! Read here! …Go Irish!

Join us for an upcoming CHGO event!