The Chicago Bears and first-year head coach Ben Johnson put together a magical 2025 NFL season, winning the NFC North division and earning the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff picture.
After a very successful tenure as the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, Johnson made the transition to being an NFL head coach seamlessly. He now has the Bears looking like a potential Super Bowl contender for years to come.
Despite an impressive first year as Chicago’s head coach and being widely expected to be a top-tier Coach of the Year candidate, Johnson only received one first-place vote for the coveted award. That was blatant disrespect from the voters.
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Few head coaches have been able to turn around a franchise as quickly as Johnson was able to turn the Bears around. Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots certainly deserved to win the award after leading his team to the Super Bowl one year removed from being one of the worst teams in the NFL. However, Johnson finishing fourth place was a bad look.
Even though it’s disappointing news for Johnson, the Chicago head coach will simply use the disrespect as more fuel and motivation for next season.
Johnson has embraced a chip on his shoulder with the Bears. He had his team playing with that same chip on their shoulders. That style isn’t going to go anywhere and this development will simply make him work harder.
Khari Thompson of Windy City Gridiron said it perfectly when writing about the fallout of Johnson’s snub.
“Just know that, like Michael Jordan in The Last Dance, Mr. Johnson is about to take that very personally, whether he admits it or not,” Thompson wrote. “Because he got your message, loud and clear. In fact, he might even print that tweet up and hang it in his office.”
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At the end of the day, winning a Coach of the Year award isn’t Johnson’s goal. He wants to lead Chicago to Super Bowl wins. After his first season, there is a clear path for the Bears to be able to accomplish that goal.
Following this news, the 2026 season simply can’t hear fast enough for Johnson and Chicago. Both Johnson and the team will take this result personally.
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