Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown knew this was a risk.
His prized offensive coordinator leaving for a division rival? The Chicago Bears had failed to reach a deal with Ben Johnson last week, when St. Brown and his brother Equanimeous featured St. Brown Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on their podcast.
But the rumbling was enough that Amon-Ra St. Brown joked last week, “For the record, I told Ben, ‘Caleb is fucking trash.'”
“That’s all right,” Williams replied with a straight face. “What he does with that information is all good.”
Amon-Ra St. Brown doubled down: “Caleb is a diva. He’s a selfish bastard, wants to do everything on his own, thinks he’s the smartest man in the world and uncoachable.”
His brother rolled his eyes, “Amon, he’s gone. Saying goodbye.”
Ben Johnson is reportedly a top candidate for multiple head coaching vacancies, including Chicago, and Amon-Ra doesn’t want to see him leave 😅 pic.twitter.com/Xj0bbTEtC8
— St. Brown Podcast (@StBrownPodcast) January 16, 2025
On Monday, Johnson was.
The Bears reached a deal Monday afternoon to hire Johnson as their next head coach, according to multiple media reports, including a post from the coaching firm representing Johnson. While the team has yet to officially announce that Johnson has put pen to paper, the pending marriage license appears to be a matter of not if, but when. Bears fans have reason to celebrate.
Because even if it’s a front office whose words and actions don’t always align and which cites different goals for its coaching search, the success of the Bears’ next hire will depend most heavily on one facet: maximizing the potential of Williams, who they selected first. in the 2024 NFL draft.
The three offensive coordinators and two head coaches he navigated as a rookie hindered that goal. Now a talent with a high ceiling has a chance to bounce back and grow in his second year.
Williams learned how powerful stability could be during a tumultuous rookie year. Hiring a head coach who calls play and therefore doesn’t want to be promoted elsewhere can create an offensive advantage. So yeah, consider him a fan of the Johnson hire.
“Selfishly, I want a guy with an offensive mindset,” Williams told the St. Brown brothers, “so I can build with him and be with that coach for the next 19, 17, 15 years.”
What the Williams and Bears offense could look like under Johnson
Just before admitting he wanted an offensive head coach, Williams said he wanted a head coach who was “strong of mind” and “a leader of men.” His franchise touted that emphatically during a head-coaching search process that included interviews (some virtual, some in-person) with 17 announced candidates.
But the Bears have not committed to hiring an offensive head coach in recent weeks. Team president Kevin Warren stressed it was important to enter the search undecided, while general manager Ryan Poles refused to confirm that hiring an offensive coach for Williams was necessary.
“For a young quarterback, there is obviously an ideal fit, but ultimately you have to look at all the attributes of what you are looking for in the head coach,” Polen said on Jan. 7. I need to see what the best bundle of that is to bring into the building. Obviously we’re talking about leadership, responsibility, and some of those important things that hold true no matter the situation. They must be there. To ignore it and just go to the other side [of scheme strength] I also think it’s a bad deal.
“So basically it’s the candidate who has the best collection of all these things, and yes, the development of a young quarterback will be a big factor in that.”
Teams have learned the downsides of not backing a rookie quarterback, from Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence translating seemingly generational talent into average performance, to the litany of quarterbacks the New York Jets have drafted and wrecked, permanently or temporarily (welcome back, Geno Smith and Sam Darnold).
Williams completed 62.5% of passes for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions as a rookie. His 87.8 passer rating ranked 25th in the league. Williams’ attempt to make plays, combined with poor protection, led to a league-high 68 sacks for a league-high 466 yards.
With Johnson, the Bears hope they can better protect Williams and give him better schematic wrinkles to succeed. The architect of the Lions’ No. 1 scoring offense isn’t a certainty, but league sources expect a significant upgrade.
A former offensive coordinator who is now an NFC assistant expects an increase in pass percentage after the Lions ranked first in the league at 36.6% this season, compared to the Bears’ 30th-highest 17%. Williams could also see more time under center after the Lions ranked last with 16 chase attempts compared to the Bears’ 37.
“It will be a dramatic change,” the former coordinator told Yahoo Sports. “More of a pro-style deal than what they tried to do this year. I’ll have to retrain the QB.”
An NFC assistant who has worked with a first-round quarterback pick expected some schematic continuity after considering the depths of the coaching trees, and some overlap in zone-run influence between Johnson’s time under Adam Gase and Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams, who influenced 2024. Bears coordinators Shane Waldron and Thomas Brown.
Williams focuses less on a specific scheme and more on how a head coach can provide an advantage or disadvantage based on macro considerations.
“So I can also learn from him and grow and things like that,” Williams said on the St. Brown Podcast. “[Someone who’s] good with the clock, good at controlling the game…helping find the right guys to help win championships.”
Ben Johnson is already answering some questions – while others remain to be seen
Have the Bears found the “leader of the people” they called? It’s too early to tell.
While the stories around Detroit haven’t been disappointing for Johnson’s leadership, his schematic reputation certainly exceeds the word about his presence.
The league’s perspective on Johnson’s readiness for the head coaching role is mixed.
The near-unanimous opinion says he is a brilliant, schematic mind who will be an asset to any coaching staff. Six seasons in the NFC North will add to his edge in game planning as he remains distributed in his new role.
How Johnson’s leadership skills complement his creativity remains to be seen.
“He is a phenomenal coordinator, a phenomenal schemer and game designer,” an AFC general manager told Yahoo Sports on Monday. “And look, maybe you put him in a position he’s in.” [San Francisco 49ers head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] where you say, ‘Hey, we’re really hiring you as an OC-plus,’ because he’s just so good in the role.”
“My assessment is that this will be a more difficult transition for him as a head coach. I think he’s probably smart enough to manage everything in terms of designing the offense and running the team, so maybe it won’t matter in the end. But I would actually have quite a few reservations about him there.
A key characteristic that Lions players mention about Johnson’s personality is his intensity. While that can lead to varying degrees of success in the league, Williams said that’s what he’s pursuing with the Bears.
Sure, St. Brown joked about how difficult Williams is to coach. But the quarterback himself acknowledged that he can be special and wants a coach who will embrace that.
“A guy who has a fire going for him,” Williams said. “I don’t want people [who don’t] have a fire. I think I have a fire around me that certain people can’t coach or certain people can’t be there or it doesn’t work that way. So I think that’s a big part of it.”
The Bears indicated with their hire that they think so too.