Ben Johnson gets hero's welcome on first day as Bears head coach

How grateful are the Chicago Bears to have Ben Johnson as their new head coach? Extremely grateful.

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When Johnson walked through the doors at Halas Hall on Tuesday to sign a contract that reportedly will pay him $13 million a year, Bears staff members were there to greet the most-sought candidate in this year's NFL head coaching cycle and welcome him with cheers and applause.

Johnson waved in appreciation, and, once everyone stopped clapping, he responded with a joke. "Everybody get back to work," he cracked.

"Listen, thank you so much. My family and I are beyond excited," said the 38-year-old Johnson, who joins the Bears after spending three seasons as the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator. "This is exactly where we wanted to be. This is exactly where we wanted to be."

Johnson then addressed the task ahead for him and the Bears, who posted a disappointing 5-12 record and finished in last place in the NFC North after high expectations with No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams at quarterback.

"This is going to be a challenge," Johnson added. "I'm well aware of that. I know what this division is about. And this is exactly where we want to be.

"We're going to go after this thing, and it's going to take all of us in this room. It's going to take this locker room. It's nothing more important than that locker room and us serving that locker room and those players. They need to understand that. And they need to feel that from us every single day. And if we do that, the wins are going to come. The playoffs are going to come.

"Can't wait to get to know you guys. And thank you so much for the warm welcome."

The Bears social media team filled the team's accounts with videos and photos of Johnson's first day on the job. One post included a picture of Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles, who was once thought to be an obstacle to hiring Johnson but will now entrust Johnson to get Williams to reach his potential as Chicago's franchise QB.

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