Ben Johnson’s first season as head coach of the Chicago Bears came to a close with last weekend’s divisional-round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but he could still walk off into the offseason with some NFL award hardware.
The Bears officially announced on January 22 that Johnson is one of five finalists for the Associated Press 2025 NFL Coach of the Year award, sending out a prideful three-word message across their social media accounts to show their support for him.
“That’s our coach,” the Bears wrote on X following Thursday’s announcement.
Johnson guided the Bears to an 11-6 record and their first playoff win since the 2010 postseason — over the Green Bay Packers — during his first season on the job. He also helped quarterback Caleb Williams — 2024’s No. 1 overall pick — take the next step in his development and boasted a top-10 offensive unit in all four major categories.
Johnson will vie for the award against tough competition, though. The other finalists include Mike Vrabel (New England), Mike Macdonald (Seattle), Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco) and Liam Coen (Jacksonville). Coen is another first-year head coach who won the division title in 2025, while Vrabel’s Patriots are vying for a Super Bowl bid.
Johnson is the first Bears coach to finish in the top 1o voting for the NFL’s coach of the year award since Matt Nagy won the award in 2018 after his first season at the helm.
The league will announce its winners at the “NFL Honors” on February 5.
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