Arthur Smith Misses Out on Bears Job, Lions OC Hired
The Chicago Bears have a new head coach, and it is not Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The Bears are finalizing a deal to hire Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next head coach, according to a report by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Smith, who interviewed with Chicago last week, had been seen as a long shot to get the Bears job, were Johnson and former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy have been seen as the favorites.
Johnson will be a first-time NFL head coach. The 38-year-old has been with the Lions since 2019, moving up from quality control coach to tight ends coach, to pass game coordinator and then to offensive coordinator, the post he’s held since 2022. Johnson turned down head coach opportunities last offseason before accepting the Bears job this year.
Smith is still in the running for the New York Jets head coach vacancy, but he is also not seen as a favorite for that job.
According to a report by Jonathan Jones of CBS on Sunday, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is the favorite to be the next Jets head coach. Glenn, 52, played for the Jets from 1994-2001, and worked for the team as a scout from 2012-13, which should seem like a natural homecoming.
But there’s a potential hiccup. Glenn is also considered a favorite for the New Orleans Saints head coach vacancy, and Glenn also played for the Saints, in 2008, and coached there from 2016-20.
So if Glenn picks New Orleans, Smith and the rest of the other candidates for the Jets job could still be in the mix.
“He’s been at the top of the list for both the Jets and the Saints,” Jones reported on Sunday.
Smith, who interviewed in New York last week, is one of a dozen completed interviews for the Jets head coach job. He had previously interviewed with the Jets before they hired Robert Saleh in 2021. Smith then became the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for three seasons before he was fired and joined the Steelers.
NFL COACHING CAROUSEL
Johnson is the second head coach to be hired in this cycle.
The New England Patriots made the first hire of the 2025 cycle last Sunday, signing former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker and Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel to replace Jerod Mayo.
| TEAM | FORMER COACH | NEW COACH |
| Chicago Bears | Matt Eberflus | Ben Johnson |
| Dallas Cowboys | Mike McCarthy | |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Doug Pederson | |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Antonio Pierce | |
| New England Patriots | Jerod Mayo | Mike Vrabel |
| New Orleans Saints | Dennis Allen | |
| New York Jets | Robert Saleh |