Bears' Johnson wanted to stay in NFC North: I enjoyed beating LaFleur

New Bears head coach Ben Johnson says staying in the division was one of his many reasons for choosing Chicago, and he introduced himself to the city by taking a playful jab at the Green Bay Packers in his first press conference with his new team.

"I know this is the toughest division in football right now. There (are) three teams that made the playoffs this year," Johnson said Wednesday. "Dan Campbell, Kevin O'Connell, you're talking about two guys that are up for coach of the year awards as the season ends here.

"And to be quite frank with you, I kinda enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year."

Johnson expressed excitement about working with quarterback Caleb Williams, the 2024 first overall pick, saying that "there is no doubt" the quarterback was a "large component" of his decision to come to the Bears.

"This offense will be calibrated with him in mind," Johnson explained. "This is not simply dropping of a previous playbook down on the table and starting there. Nope.

"We're ripping this thing down to the studs and we're going to build it up with him first and foremost, and then with the pieces around him next. I really look forward to challenging him and pushing him to continue to grow and develop."

Johnson described Chicago's entire roster as "absolutely loaded with talent" despite the team's 5-12 record in 2024.

"Going into this season, I felt like this place was a sleeping giant," the head coach said, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "I was personally more concerned about the Bears than I was any other team in the division."

Johnson spent the last three seasons as the Lions' offensive coordinator, and his unit ranked in the top five in yardage and scoring in each campaign. Detroit led the NFL with an average of 33.2 points per game in 2024.