Contrary to popular myth, players aren’t completely ignorant of what’s happening around them. They understand the wider context of what their team is doing off the field. It is plain as day that the Chicago Bears will be seeking a new head coach after the season ends next Sunday in Green Bay. Team president Kevin Warren and GM Ryan Poles (for the moment) will lead the search. Plenty of candidates have already been mentioned as possibilities. Interviews are likely to line up as the playoffs begin. Jaylon Johnson has his own ideas about how that process should go.
During the Thursday Night Football broadcast, the star cornerback listed actual names who could be in play for the Bears. These included offensive experts like Ben Johnson, Joe Brady, and Kliff Kingsbury, along with proven names like Pete Carroll and Mike Vrabel. Rather impressive for a supposed dumb jock. Johnson elaborated on his thinking during an interview on 670 The Score.
While hiring a natural-born leader like Vrabel or Aaron Glenn would make sense, he isn’t naive. Often, the easiest way to succeed in the NFL is to maximize the quarterback. That means finding somebody who can provide Caleb Williams with desperately needed stability. Jaylon Johnson saw what happened to Justin Fields, switching coaching staffs after just one season. They can’t afford for the same thing to happen to Williams. Recent rumors indicate the Bears brass are leaning towards that same conclusion. If nothing else, this revelation shows that Johnson may have a future in the business once his playing days are over, be it as an analyst, coach, or scout. His intelligence and awareness speak for themselves.
It will be interesting to see which of those names mentioned are hired, or if the Bears decide to pivot elsewhere. That has often been their way.
