There are quite a few strong head coaching candidates available this offseason. The Chicago Bears are down to two of them, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz.
The NFL insider said on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” on Thursday, Jan. 16, that the Bears are between Mike McCarthy and Ben Johnson.
Why Mike McCarthy Makes Sense as the Chicago Bears’ Next Head Coach
“I think if Brian Flores goes in and ‘wows’ them, then he is still in that mix. But right now, I think McCarthy and I think Johnson are the two leading candidates for Chicago,” Schultz said. “And it will be really interesting to see what type kind of direction they want to go because in many ways, the franchise is Caleb Williams ideally for the next decade-plus.”
There aren’t a lot of NFL head coaches who experience a lot of success at their second stop, let alone their third. McCarthy served as head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 2006-18. He held the same position with the Dallas Cowboys starting in 2018 until parting ways with the organization at his contract’s expiry.
But Schultz pointed to Williams’ development as the primary reason why McCarthy could be Chicago’s next head coach.
“They are desperately in need, in my opinion, of an offensive coach, an innovator, that will help get Caleb from point A to point B,” added Schultz. “If you look at Mike McCarthy, he’s not a perfect coach, but one thing he has done very well is help develop an Aaron Rodgers, help develop a Dak Prescott.
“I think, in theory, he can do the same thing with Caleb [Williams].”
McCarthy first worked with Brett Favre in Green Bay. But by his third season, Rodgers became the team’s starting quarterback. Rodgers won the league MVP with McCarthy as his head coach in 2011 and 2014.
The Packers won the Super Bowl during the 2010 season.
In McCarthy’s offense, Prescott finished second in MVP voting for the 2023 season.
On top of developing Prescott, McCarthy turned the Cowboys into a very good fourth-quarter team. During McCarthy’s tenure, Dallas registered the second-best fourth-quarter point differential (+153, trailing only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
The Bears went 2-7 in one-score games during Williams’ rookie season.
How Ben Johnson Fits With the Bears
Schultz emphasized that Chicago will hire an offensive-minded coach. McCarthy and Johnson both fulfill that requirement.
But that’s where their similarities mostly end. While McCarthy is a retread, Johnson is considered one of the brightest, young offensive-minded coordinators in the NFL today.
With Johnson as their offensive coordinator, the Lions have finished in the top five in points and yards for three consecutive seasons. In 2024, they were first in points scored and second in yards.
Schultz argued, despite McCarthy’s qualifications as a quarterback developer, Johnson should be Chicago’s top choice for head coach.
.@Schultz_Report says the Chicago Bears head coaching search is a two-horse race between Mike McCarthy and Ben Johnson pic.twitter.com/Y4x0lx6iP8
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 16, 2025
Johnson nearly became a head coach last offseason, but the now 38-year-old OC elected to return to Detroit to try to win a Super Bowl.
Although elite every season, Johnson’s Lions offense has improved yearly since he took over. Detroit has also posted terrific offensive numbers without putting the ball in harm’s way. In 2024, they were the No. 1 offense in the NFL in terms of PFN’s Offense+ metric.
The Lions had the sixth-fewest giveaways in the league during the 2024 regular season.
The Bears are scheduled to interview Brian Flores on Saturday. Given his résumé, he’s another strong candidate to become an NFL head coach.
However, with Chicago’s desire to hire an offensive mind as their next head coach, it makes sense that McCarthy and Johnson are the two final candidates. Which direction they elect to take could ultimately determine who becomes the next Bears head coach.
