As Matt Nagy prepares for Super Bowl LIX, he won’t be leading a team as head coach but instead serving as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs as they take on the Philadelphia Eagles. During Opening Night, he took a moment to offer some advice to Ben Johnson on what his top two priorities should be with the Bears.
In a brief statement to CHGO Bears, Nagy delivered a funny message to Johnson: “Win. And beat the Packers.” He knows firsthand how difficult that can be in Chicago, having spent four seasons as the Bears’ head coach himself and reaching the playoffs only two times.
Nagy didn’t have it as bad with the Bears as some exaggerate; in fact, in the four seasons he served as head coach, he reached two Wild Card games, losing both, but his overall record was 34-31. Since he left the position, no other head coach has been able to lead the team back to the postseason.
Ben Johnson has never been a head coach before, but he recently left Detroit, where he was the offensive coordinator for the dangerous Lions, who currently have one of the most lethal offenses in the NFL. So far, these have been two significant jobs in the league, where he has been working since 2012 when he started as an offensive assistant.
Why did Nagy mention winning against the Packers?
During his tenure as head coach of the Bears, Nagy managed to win just one game against the Packers and lost seven others. Six of those were part of a long losing streak of 11 games without a win until it finally ended on January 5, 2025, with a 24-22 victory at Lambeau Field. The overall series is led by the Packers with 108-96-6.
Ben Johnson’s Grand Entry to Take Control of the Bears
For his first experience as a head coach, Ben Johnson is being treated like a king, with a substantial $65 million contract. So far, the franchise is filling out a highly competent coaching staff, with the most recent addition being Calvin Johnson Jr. as the wide receivers coach. Another significant hire was Eric Bieniemy as the RBs coach.
