Bears might have competition for Ben Johnson

The Chicago Bears appear to have tough competition for the services of Ben Johnson as they search for their next head coach.

In the midst of Wild Card Weekend, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Las Vegas Raiders are heavily interested in Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for their head coaching vacancy, just as the Bears are.

Las Vegas doesn't have as much as Chicago does on their current roster from a talent standpoint, and the Bears have projected nearly $50 million more in cap space, but the Raiders have minority owner Tom Brady. In his first full offseason with the Raiders, Brady is expected to be a major factor in the team's search for their next head coach, and that could mean that they'll pony up any amount of money to land their guy.

"Ben Johnson interviewed with them [Raiders] earlier this week," Rapoport said, adding that the team has high praise for the offensive coordinator, who is a hot commodity during this coaching search around the league. "The name to watch is Johnson, they are enamored with him. People have been asking why Ben Johnson would be interested in a team that doesn't have a quarterback? Tom Brady has loomed large recruiting Ben Johnson, imploring him to take the interview and consider the Raiders, if that is something that will be a possibility for Ben Johnson. Johnson is said at least to be interested."

If Las Vegas can convince Johnson of their immediate plans for the future to address the quarterback position, while also backing up the money truck in their contract offer, the Bears have competition. It may ultimately come down to the Bears' pitch of their football team compared to Brady's presence with the Raiders, with each of them having their own positives (and negatives) to their respective head coaching jobs.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears might have competition for Ben Johnson