After firing Matt Eberflus midseason in 2024, the Chicago Bears hired Ben Johnson, which is seen as one of their best offseason moves. Even after trading for Joe Thuney, Bears fans are incredibly excited for Johnson to pair with Caleb Williams, leading them to an abundance of success in the future. In fact, Johnson is the favorite to win the 2025 NFL Coach of the Year award, beating out two other rookie head coaches, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears (+700)
- Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots (+1000)
- Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars (+1000)
- Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks (+1200)
- Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers (+1200)
- Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders (+1400)
So, of the top six candidates for Coach of the Year in 2025, four coaches are in their first year with the team they’re coaching.
For two of those candidates, it’s their first head coaching gig ever, not just their first year with the team they’re coaching.
Now, Johnson was one of the hottest names in the coaching carousel during the 2024-25 offseason. His abilities as an offensive play-caller earned him the right to be picky on his head coaching search, landing him with Williams and the Bears.
And in his first season with Chicago, he’s already expected to take the cake as the league’s best coach.
For those who aren’t super into betting, Johnson has seven-to-one odds to win 2025 NFL Coach of the Year. Meaning, that for every unit bet by a user, they’d earn seven units back.
Example: $1 would turn to $8 total (including the original $1 bet).
While this is mostly due to Bears fans being excited about the future under Johnson, this doesn’t mean he’ll automatically win the award.
The Bears must improve from their 5-12 record in 2024 to even be considered for this award, but fans clearly believe it’s possible, as the public influences these odds.
Hopefully — for Bears fans — it doesn’t go like their last offensive-minded head coach to win NFL Coach of the Year.
For fans who somehow forgot about this time, Matt Nagy — a noted “offensive guru” — won NFL Coach of the Year in his first season with the Bears. So, if Johnson won the award in his first year, there could be some ugly comparison drawn between the two.
Nagy led the Bears to a 12-4 record in 2018, sending Chicago to the postseason for the first time since 2010.
However, that would be Nagy’s one and only double-digit-win season with the Bears, as he got fired following a 6-11 record in 2021.
So, if Ben Johnson wins 2025 NFL Coach of the Year, the Bears hope his success doesn’t dry up within a few seasons following like their last offensive head coach.
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