Ben Johnson was the hottest head-coaching commodity over the past two hiring cycles, so it’s understandable that the Chicago Bears fanbase was positively thrilled when the team made the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator the team’s 18th full-time head coach in franchise history.
And it turns out that it is not just the league who is high on him, but bookmakers too, as Johnson has opened as the favorite to win the annual “Coach of the Year” award, per FanDuel Sportsbook – via Fox Sports.
Ben Johnson Favored To Win Coach of The Year
Fox Sports lists the most likely candidates, with Johnson at the top of the pile, for now.
“NFL Coach of the Year 2025 odds
Ben Johnson: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)
Mike Vrabel: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Liam Coen: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Pete Carroll: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Mike MacDonald: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Dave Canales: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Kellen Moore: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Aaron Glenn: +1700 (bet $10 to win $180 total)
Jonathan Gannon: +1900 (bet $10 to win $200 total)
Jim Harbaugh: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)”
A new, offensive-minded head coach with an up-and-coming team (supposedly), will always end up high on the bookies’ list of prime candidates to win COY.
The “rookie” portion, in particular, stands out: four of the last ten recipients of the award were first year head coaches – so it is clear that AP values novelty in its distribution of the award.
Because in theory, Andy Reid or (when he was a head coach) Bill Belichick, or John Harbaugh could easily win the award every year given their numerous constant accomplishments in the NFL on a yearly basis.
Instead, the award likes to focus on the coach who did the best with most little around them, or a coach whose team was surprisingly good relative to their recent history and pre-season expectations.
The Bears, who have not had a winning season since 2018, clearly fit the poor recent history bill. But with promising young QB, Caleb Williams, a roster that has legitimate talent in certain areas on the team, $78 million in cap space (4th in the NFL), and an extra second round pick thrown in for good measure, there is growing confidence that Chicago will vastly outperform its dismal 5-12 outing in 2024 this coming season.
How Much Confidence Is There In Johnson As A Coach?
Ben Johnson was regarded, prior to his hiring by the Bears, as one of the best offensive minds in all of football, having lead the Lions to a top 5 total offense berth in each of his three years as offensive coordinator, including top 2 in both 2023 and 2024.
This was a huge bounce from the year before he arrived, when the team ranked 22nd in the NFL.
Johnson is known for lots of razzle-dazzle and trick plays, but ultimately no one knows what his capabilities are like as a head coach until the season actually begins in September. But these opening odds certainly give a lot of faith in the 38 year old head coach – whether its due or not waits to be seen.
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