Bears chairman George McCaskey deflects Tom Brady question, instead takes shot at Joe Buck

“I don’t care who they put on,” McCaskey said when asked about Brady calling Lions vs. Commanders. “When Joe Buck’s on, I turn the sound down.”

It sure seems like McCaskey had no problem with Brady in the booth alongside Kevin Burkhardt as the Commanders knocked off the Lions. After all, that upset opened the door for his Bears to swoop in and hire Johnson – the belle of the ball this coaching cycle – as their next head coach to replace Matt Eberflus.

George McCaskey on Ben Johnson: ‘Go get him’

Johnson had his options this year, with Las Vegas emerging as a top suitor. Ultimately, though, he chose Chicago and will now work closely with Caleb Williams. He knows the Bears organization well from his time in Detroit, where the Lions ranked among the best offenses in the NFL during his time as offensive coordinator.

This year, as Detroit became the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Lions led the NFL in scoring and ranked No. 2 in total yards. That came after Johnson opted to return for one more season as offensive coordinator despite interest from multiple teams last year, including Washington.

The Bears conducted a wide-ranging coaching search to replace Eberflus, who was fired after a Thanksgiving game – appropriately, against the Lions – marred with clock management issues. They interviewed roughly 16 candidates for the position, including former Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy.

All it took was one Zoom call with Johnson to bring him to town, though. He stood out early, and George McCaskey had a simple message to general manager Ryan Poles when he declared Johnson his top target.

“When Ryan says, ‘This is the guy we want,'” McCaskey said of the hiring process that led the Bears to Johnson. “I said, ‘Go get him.'”