3 Different Ways the Bears Hire of Ben Johnson Impacts the Minnesota Vikings

By Ted Schwerzler |

Updated: Jan 20, 2025

Ben Johnson — Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

The offseason has already begun for the Minnesota Vikings. Their unfortunate loss to the Los Angeles Rams kicked off that reality exactly one week ago. While NFL free agency is still over a month away, the coaching carousel is already spinning at breakneck speeds.

And just because the Vikings aren’t in the market for a new head coach, that doesn’t mean they aren’t affected by this year’s cycle. For example, on Monday, reports broke that the Chicago Bears are hiring Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next head coach.

While that coaching hire may not directly involve the Minnesota, it sure does send a ripple effect through the Vikings organization. The first way this hire indirectly impacts the Vikings is obvious.

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson vs the Minnesota Vikings — Credit: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Chicago rosters 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, who was supposed to be head-and-shoulders better than every other QB in one of the deepest quarterback classes in draft history. Now, he will be coached by the most coveted offensive minded coach riding the 2025 coaching carousel.

Ben Johnson takes over Caleb Williams’ development

Over the past few years — since Ryan Poles dropped out of the Minnesota Vikings GM race and joined the Chicago Bears — the franchise has become something of a punching bag in the NFC North. The Bears were in position to draft Caleb Williams No. 1 overall for a reason.

But drafting him was supposed to change that trajectory… until they realized that Matt Eberflus was not the coach to raise Williams, making his first season somewhat of a waste. Under Ben Johnson, who was the No. 1 option for most teams in search of a head coach this offseason, Vikings fans should expect that to change quickly.

Yikes: #Bears rookie QB Caleb Williams is DEAD-LAST regarding accuracy and sack avoidance.

It's potentially one of the worst in NFL history.

(📸 @fball_insights) pic.twitter.com/YFxo6EEK0h
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 3, 2025

Ben Johnson did incredible work with Jared Goff, which is one of the main reasons why Detroit has won two-straight NFC North titles while piling up 27 wins to just 7 losses. If you were annoyed by pundits prematurely crowning the Bears last offseason, it’ll be much worse in the coming months… and probably more warrented.

Part of Detroit’s offensive success can be attributed to incredible offensive line play, something Johnson will have to work to duplicate in Chicago, where Caleb Williams was sacked a league-leading 68 times.

Minnesota Vikings DC Brian Flores down one head coaching option

The most likely coach to be poached from the Minnesota Vikings staff is probably defensive coordinator Brian Flores. The one-time Miami Dolphins head coach doesn’t have to prove anything to prospective teams regarding his x’s and o’s or his defensive schemes.

But at his last stop, he left the situation a complete mess and lost the trust of former players and coaches, in the process. Despite all of that, and his pending lawsuit against the league, many believed Brian Flores would get another head coaching opportunity during this cycle.

Minnesota Vikings, Brian Flores — Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Prior to the announced hire of Ben Johnson, Flores was interviewed for the Bears head coaching job, and was even picked to land there by some insiders. Obviously, that will not happen now. So, out of the three jobs that Brian Flores interviewed for last week, there are only two (Jets and Jaguars) that still have openings available.

One division rival’s gain is another division rivals huge loss

This season, the Minnesota Vikings nearly stole the NFC North away from the Detroit Lions, thanks to 2.5 months of nothing but winning. Unfortunately, Kevin O’Connell’s squad left Detroit after that Week 18 matchup between two NFC powerhouses, with an L, no bye week and the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs.

Dan Campbell without Ben Johnson next season pic.twitter.com/4jTojNkXp3
— Bearsszn (@bearssznn) January 20, 2025

The Detroit offense, under Johnson, put up 31 points that night, a very ho-hum number for the high powered Lions that averaged 33 points per game, good for No. 1 in the NFL. That’s the same Detroit offense that averaged the 2nd most yards of any team in the NFL, too.

Sure, Dan Campbell might be a really good head coach, but he is also a byproduct of two elite coordinators, one of which is now leaving. Many believe Lions’ defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn, will also land a head coaching job, which would strip Detroit of two key pieces to their success over the past two seasons. And… it would take another head coaching opportunity away from Brian Flores.

There is no way to argue that Detroit is better without Johnson as their offensive coordinator. How much they change will be a reflection of who is hired as his replacement, and the abilities of Campbell himself. Either way, the Vikings could very well be returning with both their offense and defense of the past two years fully in-place.