Former Chiefs QB in disbelief as Bears HC Ben Johnson lands same salary as DeAndre Hopkins' $13,000,000 pay in KC
It's official. The Chicago Bears have their man. After interviewing over 15 candidates for the role, the franchise moved quickly to hand Ben Johnson a major deal to name him the 18th full-time head coach in the franchise’s 106-year history.
The Bears reportedly pulled out all the stops to ensure they landed their top target. According to a report from ProFootballTalk, the Bears are paying Johnson a yearly salary of $13 million. Per Fox Sports, that figure would make him the seventh-highest-paid head coach this season. He is $1 million ahead of Baltimore Ravens HC John Harbaugh and $1 million behind San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chase Daniel, who is now an NFL analyst with FS1 was in disbelief over how much money the Bears handed a first-time head coach.
"I can't believe Ben Johnson got $13M a year!!! Good for him... I have to get into coaching soon," Daniel wrote on social media.
That figure is also the same salary DeAndre Hopkins is drawing at the moment with the Super Bowl-chasing Chiefs. Hopkins signed a two-year, $26 million deal with the Tennessee Titans before the Chiefs pulled off a blockbuster mid-season trade for the wide receiver.
What new Bears HC Ben Johnson's resume looks like
Johnson was at the helm of the most exciting offense in the league this year. Alongside the Baltimore Ravens (led by another HC candidate, Todd Monken), the Lions got the better of most teams all the way to the No. 1 seed in the NFC. However, a decimated defense and some unusual plays on offense meant the Lions couldn't get past the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round.
Over the last two seasons, no NFL offense has averaged more points per game (30.1) or net yards per game (402.2) than Johnson's offense in Detroit. This season, Johnson led an offense that set a franchise record by racking up 409.5 yards per game on average. Detroir's 68 total offensive touchdowns were also the most by any team in the NFL this year.
Where Bears' Ben Johnson hire leaves the rest of the HC-needy teams
Both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders were hopeful of charming Ben Johnson into landing with their respective franchises. However, Jacksonville's decision to stick with GM Trent Baalke appears to have ruled them out of contention. Over in Sin City, minority owner Tom Brady pulled out all the stops in an effort to lure the former Lions OC to town, however, Johnson appears to have picked a more stable project with a young, star QB already in place.