Add The New York Post on Google Ben Johnson and the Bears are keeping their foot on the gas.
Despite an NFC North title and a trip to the playoffs last year, Johnson is not resting on his laurels, especially after a slight dig from Jaguars coach Liam Coen about the attention that Caleb Williams receives.
“We’re the No. 1 regression candidate, so I think we’ve got plenty of motivation ourselves,” Johnson told reporters in response to Coen’s comment.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is not worried about getting his team motivated for the 2026 NFL season. AP “We’ve talked about Caleb in the past. He’s used to handling a lot of attention, so I’m not worried about that.”
Johnson’s claim came after Coen sat down with radio station 1010XL, and spoke about the lack of attention the Jaguars are getting following their 13-4 season last year.
“Coaching the Jacksonville Jaguars, you don’t have to make up telling your players stuff,” he began. “You don’t have to make up the fire. You don’t have to make it up, it’s given to us every day.”
Coen then pulled up the NFL website on his phone and used Williams to illustrate his point.
“I think I’ll see 40 pictures of Caleb Williams,” he said. “And nothing on us. It’s beautiful.”
Caleb Williams speaks to the media during Chicago Bears Training Camp at Halas Hall on July 29, 2026 in Lake Forest, Illinois. Getty Images Williams had a breakout Year 2 as he passed for 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns against just seven interceptions.
However, the Bears were not always dominant despite their 11-6 record, as they won seven games by a single possession and often had to rely on late-game heroics.
Chicago went on to beat the rival Packers in an instant classic Wild Card round game before narrowly falling to the Rams in the divisional round.
They’ll look to improve in Johnson’s second season in Chicago and will have a chance to beat Coen and the Jaguars in Week 13.
