Ben Johnson, Ryan Poles Connected History Revealed Amid League-Wide Shock Over Bears Hire

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Benedetto Vitale | Last updated Jan 20, 2025 5:35 PM ET

The Chicago Bears pulled off arguably the biggest move in the offseason so far after hiring former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as head coach. Johnson brings 15 years of coaching experience to Chicago and recently led the Lions to three straight years of having a Top 3 offense in the NFL.

Hiring the 38-year-old play caller as head coach is massive for the Bears, as they now have one of the top offensive minds in the building to develop Caleb Williams. Chicago likely isn't done turning heads either, as they are projected to have over $80 million in cap space while owning the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Despite everything lining up perfectly to make Johnson a slam dunk hire for Chicago, reports indicate that there is league-wide shock regarding Johnson's decision, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

Russini doesn't go into depth as to why teams around the league are surprised. However, before the hiring was announced, talking heads and football fans believed that the Las Vegas Raiders may have been at the top of Johnson's list.

While it makes sense Ben Johnson took the Chicago job, people around the league are pretty surprised right now.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 20, 2025

However, the Bears' intriguing opportunity with a possible franchise quarterback, cap space, and solid draft capital isn't the only thing that brought the prolific play caller to Chicago. Peter Schrager of the NFL Network indicates that Johnson has a connected history with general manager Ryan Poles.

Schrager indicates that both Johnson and Poles served as graduate assistants for the Boston College Eagles. The Bears' new head coach was a graduate assistant for Boston College from 2009 to 2010 while Poles held that role in 2008.

Little tidbit from the notebook... Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson had a mutual respect for each other, and a shared resume bullet and connection as former Graduate Assistants at Boston College.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 20, 2025

The two technically never crossed paths at Boston College. However, having that familiarity with each other is a connected history that possibly played a factor for Johnson's decision to accept the Bears HC job.

Chicago will now address the remainder of the coaching staff with rumors of the team being interested in former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen. From there, the Bears will aim to improve the roster with the offensive line viewed as the biggest need for adjustments.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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