The Chicago Bears officially wrapped up their OTAs and minicamp last week and are waiting to reconvene for training camp in July. Thanks to their busy offseason, where they entirely revamped their coaching staff, the Bears have been one of the teams to watch in the NFL. This will particularly be the case when the season starts and games between NFC North rivals begin.
The first game fans of NFC North teams have marked on their calendars is the Week 2 matchup between the Lions and the Bears. The main reason for that is the arrival of head coach Ben Johnson in Chicago.
How much that game means for the Lions was recently highlighted once again by Detroit general manager Brad Holmes.
Bears Hiring Ben Johnson Still Haunts Lions GM
In his interview with former NFL defensive end Chris Long on his podcast "Green Light," Holmes revealed how disappointed he was in Johnson when he agreed to a deal with the Bears.
"I knew he had interviewed for Chicago but he interviewed for a lot of the other positions too so I really didn't know which way he was going to go...I was thinking Chicago probably would've been the last destination, or I was probably hoping that. "Lions GM Brad Holmes
During the interview, Holmes remarked, "Why Chicago?" when discussing how he felt when he found out about Johnson's decision. Holmes obviously went on to say that he was happy for him and that Johnson was an excellent coach, but publicly admitting that he was hoping Chicago was his least preferred spot says a lot about how much the hire hurt the Lions.
Holmes' reaction, even several months after the hiring, is understandable.
Johnson had been in Detroit since 2019, ascending the rankings to become the offensive coordinator in 2022. He has been widely credited for the explosive Lions offense of the last few years, raising questions about whether Detroit will be able to same level of effectiveness in his absence.
The Lions brought in John Morton as their offensive coordinator, someone who has previous experience working in Detroit under Dan Campbell. While they hope to sustain their elite offense in 2025, it's obvious that Johnson's departure will continue to haunt the Bears' NFC North rival for a while.