The NFL’s 2025 coach hiring cycle was relatively stagnant during the first weeks of the offseason. The New England Patriots made a quick move to hire Mike Vrabel, but the other six teams seeking new leaders were stuck in a holding pattern.
That changed when the Washington Commanders eliminated the Detroit Lions from the 2025 NFL playoffs on Saturday. The upset made Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, two of the top coaching candidates on the market, available to be hired immediately.
The Chicago Bears wasted little time making sure they secured Johnson as their new head coach. The Bears are finalizing a deal with Johnson to be the team’s new head coach, according to multiple media reports.
Johnson spent three years as Detroit’s offensive coordinator, leading the Lions to a top-five offense in scoring and yardage each season. He helped the Lions reach the NFC championship game following the 2023 NFL season, played a big role in their earning the No. 1 seed in 2024 and turned Jared Goff into a Pro Bowler.
The Bears are banking on Johnson’s offensive acumen and creativity providing Caleb Williams with a strong, stable system that can help him blossom into a top-tier starting quarterback. Meanwhile, other teams in the Johnson sweepstakes will have to pivot as they look for their next franchise leaders.
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Here’s a look at how the Bears landing Johnson will impact other teams on the NFL’s coaching carousel.
How Ben Johnson to Bears impacts NFL coach hiring cycle
Who are the Las Vegas Raiders coaching candidates?
The Raiders seemed to be gaining on the Bears in the race to hire Johnson. Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported there was ‘a lot of momentum building’ for the Lions offensive coordinator in Las Vegas, but ultimately, he spurned the Raiders for a chance to work with Williams.
With Johnson – who was presumably the Raiders’ No. 1 coaching candidate – no longer available, Las Vegas will have to pivot to another candidate to replace Antonio Pierce. Below is a look at the list of candidates they have interviewed so far this offseason, minus Johnson:
Pete Carroll, former Seahawks head coach
Aaron Glenn, Lions defensive coordinator
Vance Joseph, Broncos defensive coordinator
Todd Monken, Ravens offensive coordinator
Ron Rivera, former Commanders head coach
Robert Saleh, former Jets head coach
Steve Spaguolo, Chiefs defensive coordinator
Interestingly, Monken is the only coaching candidate the Raiders have interviewed with an offensive background besides Johnson. The others all cut their teeth on the defensive side of the ball, so barring the Raiders reaching out to someone like Joe Brady or Liam Coen, Monken could be the logical pivot if they want an offensive-minded coach.
Monken, 58, helped lead the Ravens to back-to-back top-five offenses in his two seasons with the team. Lamar Jackson is on pace to win his second consecutive NFL MVP award, so the Raiders may be impressed with his ability to maximize the performance of their quarterbacks as the franchise looks for a long-term starting option.
Who are the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching candidates?
The Jaguars were also interested in Ben Johnson but the coaching job didn’t align with what the 38-year-old was seeking, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. As a result, the Jaguars will head back to the drawing board as the team considers some of the other candidates it has interviewed this offseason.
Below is the Jacksonville’s full list of interviews to date, excluding Johnson:
Joe Brady, Bills offensive coordinator
Liam Coen, Buccaneers offensive coordinator
Brian Flores, Vikings defensive coordinator
Aaron Glenn, Lions defensive coordinator
Patrick Graham, Raiders defensive coordinator
Todd Monken, Ravens offensive coordinator
Kellen Moore, Eagles offensive coordinator
Robert Saleh, former Jets head coach
Steve Spagnuolo, Chiefs defensive coordinator
Unlike the Raiders, the Jaguars have interviewed a handful of non-Johnson offensive-minded coaching options throughout the offseason. Their natural pivots would be Brady, Coen, Monken or Moore; an anonymous NFL executive said Coen was ‘outstanding’ in his interview with the Jaguars, according to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sports Illustrated, so that might make the Buccaneers offensive coordinator the next logical target in Jacksonville.
What does Ben Johnson to Bears mean for Mike McCarthy?
The Bears were the first NFL team to request to speak to McCarthy this offseason. The two sides eventually met after the veteran coach and the Cowboys opted to part ways, but McCarthy still lost the Chicago job to Johnson.
That will narrow McCarthy’s potential landing spots. He was only set to interview with the Bears and Saints, so barring a change of course from the Raiders, Jaguars, or Jets, New Orleans might be his only option.
McCarthy could still end up getting the Saints gig. The team was expected to be ‘very interested’ in him – as NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill initially reported – as he has the ‘familiarity’ with the organization that Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported would be a factor for New Orleans.
That said, Aaron Glenn is also ‘at the top of the list’ for the Saints, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. The Jets are vying for Glenn’s services as well, among others, but if New Orleans manages to win the Glenn sweepstakes, that could leave McCarthy without a job in 2025.
As such, McCarthy finds himself in the unenviable position of waiting to see how Glenn’s scheduled interviews with the Jets and Saints go before knowing what his future will hold.
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