The Chicago Bears may actually be building something special, and the team could shock the NFC North in the 2025 NFL Season. With Ben Johnson now the head coach of the Bears, the franchise has caught up with the rest of the league. The league has been trending toward hiring the young, offensive-minded head coach over the last decade or so.
Some teams like the Los Angeles Rams hit this out of the park with Sean McVay. Other teams like the Denver Broncos struck out swinging with Nathaniel Hackett. Some teams like the Cincinnati Bengals hit a double with Zac Taylor.
The Bears clearly knew that they needed to play copycat. Ben Johnson was arguably the best coordinator in the NFL during the 2024 season, and he now heads to Chicago to try and develop Caleb Williams and the offense.
Caleb Williams and Chicago Bears could shock the NFC North in 2025 season
Right now, Chicago does seem to have two of the most important positions set on their roster; Caleb Williams is the guy and will be their guy for years to come, and Ben Johnson isn't some low-end head coaching candidate. He was one of the more highly coveted coaches even last offseason.
He chose the Bears, and in doing so, the Detroit Lions lose their best coach. The Lions may also lose Aaron Glenn to a head coaching gig, so Detroit is down their top two assistants. This could close the gap a bit between the Bears and the Lions.
The Minnesota Vikings may be prepared to start de-facto rookie JJ McCarthy in 2025, so they may endure the rookie growing pains, which could close the gap between the Vikings and the Bears. The Green Bay Packers are the other team left here.
They're an interesting one as well - this team is filled with 'good' football players, but they really don't have many elite players at all. Green Bay is close, but they have to work on finding those high-end players to bolster positions like wide receiver, in the secondary, and with their pass rush.
Talent-wise, the Bears and Packers are not all that far apart.
Chicago does have to have a stellar offseason, but when you take a big-picture look at the team after the Ben Johnson hire, the Bears can absolutely shock the NFC North and the rest of the NFL in the 2025 season.