A new day in Chicago: The #Bears are finalizing a deal to hire Ben Johnson as their head coach, per sources.
Johnson is set to fly there soon and contract parameters are in place. Barring a last-minute snag, the #Lions OC lands with an NFC North rival. pic.twitter.com/Y1i4lRtpw5
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 20, 2025
The Bears also passed on former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury in the process. Kingsbury hasn’t fielded any official interviews since the Washington Commanders are still in the postseason.
Petzing interviewed with Chicago for the job before Johnson – one of the coaching cycle’s hottest names – landed with the Bears. Chicago becomes the second team to hire a head coach, as the New England Patriots inked Mike Vrabel to lead their team to beginning festivities.
Petzing does not currently have any other interviews aligned.
Petzing has typically been viewed as a candidate to watch in the future, though Chicago speaking with him did surprise many given how the Cardinals’ offense finished the 2024 season under his watch.
Still, he earned quite the voucher from head coach Jonathan Gannon.
“I’m excited for Drew. The people that know, know,” Gannon told reporters ahead of his interview with Chicago.
“The first thing is he knows how to teach. He’s got really good command. He can get the best out of people. He’s extremely intelligent. I think he knows what’s going on, and he’s had some good experiences around a lot of good guys. I’m probably not one of them, but he’s been trained the right way. He is intelligent, and he’s got a growth mindset. He knows where he’s really strong and where he needs help, and I think he’d do a really good job.”
Petzing will certainly have his work cut out for him over the next 12 months, as the Cardinals’ offense is simply too talented to sputter like it did far too often over the course of 2024.
If Petzing can steer Arizona’s attack in a clear direction, the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator could gather more interest next offseason. We’ll see if more time between Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. can fix things.
For now, continuity continues in the desert.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/cardinals/ as Bears Pass on Cardinals Coordinator, Hire Head Coach.
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