Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders has done everything to stay away from NFL rumors. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t root for his dear friend to take a leap into the NFL.
According to NFL insider Jay Glazer, Tennessee State Tigers head coach Eddie George was scheduled to be interviewed for the Chicago Bears head coaching position over the weekend.
Deion Sanders’ Heartfelt Prayer for Eddie George’s Interview
Ahead of George’s interview, Sanders took to social media, giving his props and prayers to the 1996 Offensive Rookie of the Year.
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“Praying for my dear friend and brother HC Eddie George regarding his interview with the Chicago Bears,” Sanders said. “I believe in u, man!”
While George and Sanders never played together, both shared a relationship as rivals and well-respected coaches during Coach Prime’s time at Jackson State.
George’s Coaching Career Thus Far
The Bears needed a coach who can extract the best out of their rookie quarterback, Caleb Williams. After a miserable 2024 season, a change was required, which is why the team fired Matt Eberflus following a 4-8 start to the season.
George began his coaching career in 2021 when he was appointed as the head coach of Tennessee State University. This marked his first foray into coaching after a stellar playing career that included four-time Pro Bowl selections, a 2000 first-team All-Pro selection, and a 1999 second-team All-Pro.
Signing a five-year contract worth $400,000 annually, George took on the challenge of revitalizing Tennessee State’s program. In his debut season, the team posted a 5–6 record in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). Over the next few years, George steadily built the program, culminating in a standout 2024 season.
Under his leadership, Tennessee State achieved a 9–4 overall record in 2024, captured the Big South–OVC championship, and earned a berth in the NCAA Division I playoffs, where they fell in the first round.
George’s efforts were recognized as he was named the Big South–OVC Coach of the Year this past season. With a career record of 24–22 and a conference record of 13–12, George is targeting a leap to the NFL level in 2025.
Bears Ultimately Decide to Hire Ben Johnson
Although George interviewed, the Bears ultimately decided to hire Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Johnson became a key figure in the Lions’ offense in 2019 and assumed full control as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2022. He helped Detroit average an NFL-best 33.1 points per game this season while also ranking No. 1 in PFN’s Offense+ metric.
The unit’s stock soared this season, but the improvement was a steady progression, highlighting Johnson’s lasting impact rather than just a one-season surge:
- 2021 (before Johnson took over): 19.7% TD rate
- 2022: 29.5% TD rate
- 2023: 30.5% TD rate
- 2024: 37.4% TD rate
Johnson is just 38 years old, so he can help build the Bears from the ground up and stick around for the long haul.
Johnson is a strong advocate of play-action, as the Lions used it on a league-leading 37.8% of their dropbacks in 2024. Under Johnson, the Lions have established an elite rushing attack, leading the league in running back rushing yards (6,403) and ranking fourth in yards per carry by running backs (4.7) over his three seasons as offensive coordinator.
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Johnson’s offense is aggressive and can make defenses pay both on the ground and through the air. Reckless playcalling can occasionally inflate offensive numbers, but that wasn’t the case under Johnson. The Lions didn’t need to put the ball in harm’s way to access their elite offensive ceiling. Their two lowest turnover rate seasons this millennium (2022 and 2024) came under Johnson, which gave them a no-risk, all-reward profile.
That would be a refreshing change for a Bears offense that experienced plenty of negative plays in 2024. Chicago did limit the turnovers (fifth-lowest at 7.7%), but at the expense of the highest sack rate in the NFL (10.7%). As a result, the Bears went three-and-out at the 10th-highest rate in 2024 (33.7%).
But the main reason Chicago hired Johnson is to develop Caleb Williams and help him realize his full potential. Lions quarterback Jared Goff had a career renaissance under Johnson, posting career-highs in completion percentage, yards per pass, and touchdowns. But when Goff landed in Detroit, he wasn’t viewed as an attractive asset in the Matthew Stafford blockbuster trade. Goff posted QB+ grades that placed him in the bottom half of the NFL during each of his three seasons before Johnson became his offensive coordinator:
- 2019: 73.7 (C) grade ranked 19th
- 2020: 72.4 (C-) grade ranked 24th
- 2021: 63.8 (D) grade ranked 26th
However, in the three seasons after Johnson became the offensive coordinator, Goff improved his QB+ grade each season and never ranked outside the top six.
- 2022: 84.0 (B) grade ranked 6th
- 2023: 84.1 (B) grade ranked 4th
- 2024: 92.5 (A-) grade ranked 2nd
Williams ranked 33rd out of 39 qualifying quarterbacks in 2024 with a 63.1 (D) grade in QB+, almost the exact same figure Goff received in 2021 before Johnson took over.
