"NFL needs to make a rule on this" - Fans stunned by pace of Ben Johnson's negotiations with Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has become the new head coach of the Chicago Bears. On Monday, Johnson's team officially announced his new position. The move came just a day after the Detroit Lions lost against the Washington Commanders in the divisional playoff.

The negotiation was swift, leaving the fans stunned by the quick recruitment. The NFL shared a post on its X (formerly Twitter) account about Johnson's appointment, writing:

"Bears are finalizing a deal to hire Ben Johnson as their head coach."

Fans in the comment section, however, were critical of the move and suggested the NFL make a change in the rule.

"You can’t convince me that bro was fully focused on the playoffs when he got hired 2 days after getting eliminated. The NFL needs to make a rule on this."

Some fans asked to disallow coaches/coordinators from interviewing while teams are playing in the playoffs to avoid distractions.

"I don’t think it woulda made a difference to the Lions losing. But the NFL needs to suspend coaches/coordinators from interviewing for coaching jobs during the midst of a playoff run. It’s an obvious unnecessary distraction," another fan added.

"Why do you not have a rule yet that prevents coaching interviews while teams are still playing? Tampering at its finest," a fan added.

While some were shocked by the move.

"This can’t be real. NO," another fan said.

Others opened up about the downfall of the Lions.

"Lions downfall hitting like a train," one more fan said.

"Lions are cooked," one more fan commented.

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Chicago Bears interviewed several candidates before hiring Ben Johnson

Johnson's incredible season with the Detroit Lions made him the hottest name in the hiring cycle. The Bears, however, interviewed about 17 candidates before finally agreeing to hire Ben Johnson. They interviewed Ron Rivera, Mike McCarthy, Eddie George, and several others for the head coach position.

Ben Johnson had his first interview with the Bears online on Jan. 11, and soon after the Lions' divisional playoff match, it was announced that he would be joining the Bears as the head coach. Besides the Bears, he also interviewed for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, and New England Patriots.

Notably, Ben Johnson had previously served as the assistant coach of the Miami Dolphins and had been associated with the Detroit Lions since 2019. He initially worked as the offensive quality control coach for Lions in 2019, then worked as the tight ends coach from 2020-21, and later became the passing game coordinator in 2021. He was the offensive coordinator from 2022. But now he is moving to the Chicago Bears.