Report: Chicago Bears hiring Ben Johnson as new head coach

Context: This move brings a young, offensive-minded coach to Chicago to pair with quarterback Caleb Williams.

• The 38-year-old Johnson is expected to call plays for the Bears as the head coach.

The intrigue: The Bears had yet to interview Johnson in person. The head coaching candidate was sought after as reports say he was also offered contracts by the Raiders and the Jaguars.

• The teams entered a frenzied bidding war after the Lions were surprisingly eliminated in the NFC Divisional playoff round Saturday after losing to the Washington Commanders, 45-31.

By the numbers: Johnson supercharged the Lions offense under head coach Dan Campbell, making them the second-best offense in the league.

• The Lions coordinator developed Jared Goff into one of the better quarterbacks in the league.
• The Detroit offense scored 33.2 points per game last season while averaging 409.5 yards per game.

The other side: In comparison, the Bears offense was close to dead last with only 18.2 points per game and just 283.5 yards per game, which was the worst in the league last season.

Zoom out: The Bears entertained almost 20 candidates, including Ron Rivera, Mike McCarthy and Pete Carroll. They were expected to wait to hire someone until all the coaches were interviewed, including some still in the playoffs like Buffalo's offensive coordinator Joe Brady and the Commander's playcaller Kliff Kingsbury.

What's next: The Bears are reportedly interested in hiring former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen to run the defense.