While Ben Johnson wasn't officially hired as the Chicago Bears' next head coach until Jan. 21, he was apparently getting his staff ready long before that.
Dennis Allen—who was introduced as Chicago's next defensive coordinator at a press conference on Thursday—revealed that Johnson reached out to him during the season to see if he'd like to join forces at his next destination.
"At some point as we got later in the season he reached out to me just to see if I would be interested," said Allen. "I told him that I would be interested."
Allen had been serving as the New Orleans Saints' head coach since 2022 but was fired in November after a 2-7 start.
New #Bears DC Dennis Allen said Ben Johnson reached out to him late in the season to gauge his interest in joining him as DC wherever he landed—and Allen told him he was on board. pic.twitter.com/Sl7S7Y2CNp
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 30, 2025
Johnson reaching out to Allen mid-season adds to the gripe some had with the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator. A segment of fans responded negatively to him taking the Bears job—saying that thought he'd had one foot out the door all season.
Chicago now pairs Johnson with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, and Allen—a veteran coordinator—with a defense that allowed 21.8 points per game in 2024.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dennis Allen Reveals When Ben Johnson Asked Him to Be His Defensive Coordinator.
