Bears competing with at least one other team for Ben Johnson

The Chicago Bears officially have some competition in the Ben Johnson sweepstakes. Johnson has received a request to interview with the New England Patriots for their head coaching vacancy, which was first reported by Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. The Patriots are the only other team at this point to put in an official request to interview Johnson, aside from the Bears.

Johnson is one of the hottest coaching candidates this cycle, so it's no surprise to see that he's drawing interest. The 38-year-old, however, has made it clear he only plans to interview with teams that he would seriously consider—and that includes New England.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero shares that Johnson will be interviewing with both teams, indicating he has serious interest in those jobs. "I'm told Ben Johnson does intend to interview with both the Patriots and the Bears for their head coaching positions this week," Pelissero said. "He is interested in those jobs; he has been intrigued by the Bears job for some time, and now that the Patriots job with Drake Maye at quarterback has become available, that is certainly a possibility to monitor."

Pelissero also mentioned the possibility that Mike Vrabel could be the frontrunner for the Patriots job, but it sounds like Johnson is a legitimate candidate. The Bears, meanwhile, have also made requests to interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, and Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears competing with at least one other team for Ben Johnson