It’s been a long, long time since the Chicago Bears hired a coach that other teams actually wanted. A history littered with the Marc Trestman’s of the world, you have to go back to the 1982 hiring of Mike Ditka to find a coach the Bears landed who other teams were actually interested in.

Especially if he's getting paid like this, Johnson has a lot to prove once he takes the reigns in Chicago. The mandate is clear: the Bears will be looking for their first playoff appearance since 2020, and a better record than the dismal 5–12 with which they rounded out this current season.

The “early figure on the NFL grapevine” for Ben Johnson, who signed on to become the 19th head coach in franchise history Monday, is $13 million per year, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.