Bears predicted to hire Super Bowl-winning HC amid Ben Johnson-Raiders news

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is one of the top head-coaching candidates on the board for teams to hire. The Bears just recently conducted a Zoom meeting with Johnson, given they can’t interview him officially till after Jan. 20. 

Ben Johnson is the Bears' top choice to be their head coach, but they could lose out on him with the possibility of the Las Vegas Raiders trying to steal him away.

The alternative to Ben Johnson

73-year-old Pete Carroll is considered a football lifer, with him being in the game of football since being hired as a defensive backs coach for the Buffalo Bills back in 1984. Known as one of the best defensive minds the NFL has to offer, Pete Carroll helped lead the Seattle Seahawks and their "Legion of Boom" defense to their first Super Bowl back in 2014.

Carroll decided to take a step away from coaching, deciding to step down as the Seattle Seahawks head coach and take more of an advisory role with the organization. Since stepping down, it appears Carroll has caught the coaching bug again and has been on the short list of names thrown out to possibly be the Bears' next head coach.

The Bears have said they want someone who is a "leader of men," and Carroll is certainly that. The Athletic would agree with them, writing about Carroll's leadership style compared to that of Johnson’s, with its assessment being:

"If the Bears are looking for a proven leader, there isn’t a better candidate than Carroll. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is the sexiest name of this cycle (as he was for the last one), but nobody knows what sort of leader he’ll be as a head coach."

A proven winner and known to get the best out of his players, even though Carroll isn’t the "offensive-minded" coach the Bears should be looking for, having his leadership qualities to compensate would ultimately benefit the Bears to have in the locker room.

The league as a whole has gotten younger and younger, with choices of head coaches and veteran coaches like Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick seemingly being pushed out. However, maybe having a veteran head coach with a ton of experience who has shown the ability to win could be what the Bears need to be better than their 5-12 record. 

Having Carroll’s ability to bring the Bears defense into the force it once was and then getting someone who can work with Caleb Williams to expand on what was an amazing rookie season appears to be where the Bears are heading.

With the Bears taking their time and conducting a "wide-ranging search" for their next head coach, fans will figure to not hear anything for a little bit more time. However, that Jan. 20 date is fast approaching, and the Bears could hear soon if they won on Johnson or if they’ll end up taking Carroll.