Caleb Williams played a big role in Ben Johnson choosing the Bears

The Chicago Bears introduced Ben Johnson as their new head football coach Wednesday at Halas Hall. He was the hottest name on the market coming into the search, and his work as Detroit Lions offensive coordinator is the primary reason.

The Bears beat out the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders in hiring Johnson. Both of those teams, among other teams with less attractive situations, had Johnson as their number one choice but he chose Chicago. Why did he ultimately choose the Bears, who have been a disaster for multiple decades now? There were a lot of factors but it sounds like one variable stood out: Quarterback Caleb Williams, who was actually in attendance at Johnson's press conference.

"Listen, it's clear that modern football in the NFL is quarterback-driven," Johnson said. "That is no secret. You can look at analytics. Right now, quarterback success is a higher predictor of winning and losing than turnover ratio, which it's been for 20-plus years. That's changed. So there is no doubt that Caleb played a large component into my decision.

"He is a phenomenal talent that had, as many quarterbacks do, an up-and-down rookie year. Where I see my role is as a supporter of him. This offense will be calibrated with him in mind. We're going to build this thing -- this is not simply a dropping of a previous playbook and starting there. No, we're ripping this thing down to the studs, and we're going to build it out with him first and foremost, and then the pieces around him next. I really look forward to challenging him and pushing him, as I said before, to continue to grow and develop."

The Bears drafted Williams with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft and a lot of hype came with him. Now, the Bears are mainly focused on his development as it's the biggest key to them becoming a winner.

There's a ton of talent around Williams, which is important, in receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, tight end Cole Kmet, and running back D’Andre Swift. Johnson touched on all of that, plus the plan for fixing the offensive line, which is important for Williams’ development.

Johnson made a point during the presser to talk about how Williams had an up-and-down rookie year. Based on his excitement to coach him, you’d think that means that he has a plan to make it right. Super Bowls aren’t won at introductory press conferences, but this was a great start.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Caleb Williams played a big role in Ben Johnson choosing the Bears