It looks like the Chicago Bears have finally found their head coach, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
If the rumors of the Bears hiring Johnson as their next head coach are true, he might be one of the highest-paid coaches in the NFL.
Ben Johnson May Be Paid a Huge Salary
“Early rumors spreading around NFL circles suggest Ben Johnson’s contract with the Bears will be around $13 million per year. If true, it’s a decent boost over the typical salary for first-time head coaches,” read a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) from Pro Football Talk.
The initial number making the rounds on the NFL grapevine is $13 million per year for Ben Johnson with the Bears. If accurate, it's a sizable bump over the current salary for first-time head coaches. https://t.co/NvKYufEFAm
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 20, 2025
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio also reports that Johnson’s initial contract figures are rumored to exceed $13 million per season.
Florio also added, however, that those figures are based more on speculation than fact. However, considering that three NFL teams were interested in Johnson, he may more than likely receive a huge paycheck from whoever hires him.
Most NFL first-year coaches make about $8 million a year. To put things in perspective, Johnson would only be $2 million behind Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay. However, NFL head coach salaries are not reported similarly to players’ deals, meaning most coaching deals are non-exact and speculative.
Salaries of the Top 5 NFL Coaches
Here is the current list of coaches’ salaries in the NFL compared to what Johnson could be making for the Bears.
1) Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
- 2024 salary: $20 million
Andy Reid is widely regarded as the best head coach in the NFL, so it makes sense that he’s also the league’s highest-paid coach.
The Kansas City Chiefs extended Reid in late April, locking him up on a new deal that made him the top-ranked head coach on this list. He’s under contract through the 2029 season.
2) Sean Payton, Denver Broncos
- 2024 salary: $18 million
In Feb. 2023, NBC Sports’ Peter King reported that Sean Payton signed a five-year contract “in the neighborhood” of $18 million annually. Considering the draft capital and money they gave up, the Denver Broncos clearly expect Payton to turn the team into a perennial contender. Which he did. The Broncos made it to the first round of the NFL playoffs.
T-3) Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
- 2024 salary: $16 million
Mike Tomlin was hired as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach on Jan. 27, 2007. He has never had a losing season, holding the NFL record for most consecutive non-losing seasons to begin an NFL coaching career. Tomlin’s worst seasons came in 2012, 2013, and 2019, when his teams finished 8-8.
The Steelers and Tomlin agreed to terms on a three-year extension to keep him under contract through the 2027 season. According to Front Office Sports, he’s earning $16 million annually.
T-3) Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers
- 2024 salary: $16 million
After a nearly decade-long stint as head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, Jim Harbaugh signed a five-year, $80 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers during the 2024 offseason.
5) Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
- 2024 salary: $15 million
After becoming a head coach at age 30, McVay became the youngest NFL head coach (37) to win a Super Bowl when the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022.
Amazon reportedly offered McVay $100 million over five years to serve as a broadcaster after the 2022 campaign, but he chose to stay in Los Angeles — and received a subsequent pay bump.
So, if Johnson is hired, he will join an elite list of coaches who will make a boatload of money in their first year as head coaches.
