Why the Bears Head Coach Doesn’t Need Friends Heading into the 2026 Season
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson proved himself to be one of the league's smartest in just one season. When the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator landed in the Windy City, many questions surrounded him, wondering if he could be a true leader. The Bears found themselves winning the NFC North, winning a playoff game, and having one of their best seasons in over a decade. Johnson quickly won himself over with the city of Chicago, bringing them the success they’ve been craving for a long time. The future is undoubtedly bright under their new head coach, who has just only begun to unlock quarterback Caleb Williams' full potential. As Johnson is only focused on winning football games, those around the league have noticed a new narrative being created about the Bears coach.
Two of Chicago’s biggest wins last season came against their rival, the Green Bay Packers, reigniting a rivalry that seemed lopsided beforehand. In all three games, however, the end-of-game handshake between Johnson and head coach Matt LaFleur couldn’t have been more tense. Fans of both teams quickly noticed the hatred the two coaches had for each other, despite having no prior issues or knowing each other personally. LaFleur has gone on record stating he’s not quite sure why Johnson doesn’t like him, but it has only made the rivalry even more entertaining for fans. Most recently, the NFL held its annual coaches meeting, and fans noticed Johnson didn’t stay long after it ended, as released videos showed the coaches chatting with each other after the event. “I didn’t come into this league or take this position to necessarily make friends,” Johnson said. “That’s not the case. I love what I do. I love who I’m doing it with. That’s the most important thing to me, and everything I do is with them in mind.”
Bears fans should feel as confident as Johnson does about his reputation around the league, that the only thing on his mind is his own team and organization. He has no plans to leave Chicago for a long time, or to settle for the terrific 2025 season the Bears had. There’s a similar head coach who had the same reputation around the league for a long time, and that was Bill Belichick. He won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, with the same team-first mentality despite being disliked around the NFL. Having a team-first attitude has proven to work in the league, and Johnson’s style of coaching will not change anytime soon. Chicago has plenty more successful years to come under their new head coach, but shouldn’t expect to be a team favorite around the league by any standard.
