The Chicago Bears drafted Jaylon Johnson in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and he is among the best players at his position. This past offseason, the Bears rewarded him with a four-year, $76 million contract extension as the team was ready to contend with Caleb Williams.
Unfortunately, things have not worked out for the Bears in 2024, and they fired head coach Matt Eberflus after a 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 13. Johnson, among the team’s leaders, was reportedly very upset after the loss and directed some of his anger toward the former head coach.
Details on Jaylon Johnson and Players’ Reaction to Loss in Week 13
According to Adam Jahns and Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Eberflus botching another game with his decisions was Johnson’s boiling point. “Jaylon went crazy,” said one player about the scenes in the locker room after the loss to the Lions. “He was very emotional and pissed, but rightfully so. He’s been here longer than most.”
Eberflus failed to use a remaining timeout, costing the team the game. For his mismanagement of the situation, he was heavily criticized by Shannon Sharpe, J.J. Watt, and Skip Bayless, among others.
Another player said that Johnson “was going off more so at (Eberflus).” The players were reportedly “furious” and questioned why the head coach had not called the last timeout. Chicago has lost six straight games since its bye week but played well enough to potentially get a result against the Lions.
LIONS SEAL THE DEAL ‼️
📺: #CHIvsDET on CBS/Paramount+
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/v1zsBY3WIo— NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2024
This isn’t the first time that the Bears lost due to their head coach’s mismanagement, which is why many believed that Eberflus should have gotten fired earlier. Out of their eight losses this season, six were in one-possession games, which could have gone in the Bears’ favor had they had a better head coach.
“The locker room was ugly,” and “there was a lot of yelling,” said a Bears player about the scene after the loss on Thanksgiving.
The team had high expectations coming into this season, and after losing so many games, the players had had enough; Ryan Poles ultimately decided to pull the plug on Eberflus.
Thomas Brown Will Be the Bears’ Interim HC for the Rest of 2024
Thomas Brown, who was the Bears’ interim offensive coordinator after they fired Shane Waldron, will serve as the team’s interim head coach for the rest of the season.
Williams and the entire offense have played significantly better under Brown, and now the 38-year-old has a chance to impress people around the league. He has previously served as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator and the assistant head coach/tight end coach/running backs coach for the Los Angeles Rams.
The Bears have enough time to decide on who their head coach will be in 2025. Although Brown will be considered for the role, Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel could be among the candidates that the team will show the most interest in.
The Bears are 4-8 on the season and have almost entirely wasted Williams’ rookie season. Hopefully for Chicago’s sake, Poles and the Bears’ front office will make the right decision and get the head coach who can get the best out of the USC product.