Jared Goff has come a long way. From being seen as a bridge quarterback for a building Detroit Lions franchise, Goff has become a Pro Bowl signal-caller in two of the past three years. And that transformation coincides with Ben Johnson as his offensive coordinator for the last three seasons. Johnson has now left for the Chicago Bears as their head coach. What remains is what they build together.

Over the last three seasons working with Johnson, Goff has completed 68.1% of his passes for 13,642 yards, 96 touchdowns to 31 interceptions and gone to two of his four career Pro Bowls. In 2024, he threw a career-high 37 touchdowns and completed a career-best 72.4% of his passes. So Goff knew what Johnson means to his career.

“He’s a hell of a coach,” Goff told SiriusXM NFL Radio earlier this month at the Pro Bowl Games. “He’s a guy that’s made a ton of difference in my career. I’m obviously a big fan of his. I was joking with him — I wish he didn’t have to be in our division, so I didn’t have to try to beat him twice a year.” In that conversation, Goff only had good words to offer for Johnson.

“He’s going to do a great job,” Goff said. “Hopefully not too good, though, with us being in the division together still. I’ll always be a fan of his and we’ll always have a good relationship,” But wait, will his ties with Johnson be really that nice after what the former just said?

Ben Johnson isn’t wasting any time making headlines in Chicago. The Bears‘ new head coach recently talked about Caleb Williams, and you could hear the excitement in his voice. He called the rookie “super talented” and raved about his ability to make plays outside of structure. “The out of structure, the off schedule, the creation, that’s what stands out the most because that’s really the way that this league’s going right now it seems like.” Sounds like high praise, right? But then he hit everyone with this: “I haven’t really been around that since I’ve been in the league.”

Wait… what? Was that a little bit of shade? Sure sounds like it. Goff is known for thriving in structured systems, where he can go through his reads cleanly. But Johnson’s words made it pretty clear—he’s ready to work with a quarterback who can go off-script, make defenders miss, and extend plays when things break down. But if you thought this was a bit subtle, then what came within less than 24 hours after it was not.

In another conversation with Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and Chris Simms, Johnson said passes Penei Sewell threw in practice looked better than throws he had seen from Jared Goff! “The best part of that was he threw a dime every single time in practice,” Johnson said. “We probably took that for three weeks and every time it was a dime. It was better than some other people, Jared Goff. He was pretty darn good at throwing on the move.” This was too much to be ignored.

So, it wasn’t long before Lions defenders got wind of Johnson’s comments. Both safety Kerby Joseph and Amik Robertson were none-too-pleased to hear the former Lions offensive coordinator’s comments and they vented it on X. The man in the center, Goff has yet to speak up. Meanwhile, to get Williams up to speed, Johnson is going back to the basics.

“The springtime not just for Caleb but for the entire team is we’re going to go back to the basics and that’s the fundamentals of each position—blocking, tackling, catching the football, running after the catch, ball security—we’re going to break it down to the studs and work to develop it from there.” And for Williams specifically?

Johnson wants him to master the details. “It’s as simple as the procedure, the huddle, breaking the huddle, using cadence, motions, shifts—all those things that can help attack a defense that we feel like can take another step here in Chicago.” Basically, he’s making sure Williams has all the tools to thrive in the NFL, not just the natural talent.

Now, if we’re comparing Goff and Williams, it’s clear they’re two very different QBs. Goff is the guy who stays on script. He finished 2023 second in passing yards and thrives when the offense is running smoothly. But he’s not exactly known for breaking the pocket and making something happen when things go sideways. Williams? That’s his whole thing. Johnson’s words make it obvious that he’s excited to finally have a quarterback who can create on the fly.

Whether Johnson meant to throw Goff under the bus or not, the message is pretty loud and clear—he’s all in on this new era of Bears football. No more sticking to the script and hoping everything works out. He’s looking for some chaos, some creativity, and maybe even a little magic from his new QB1. Amid this entire saga, a churning is going on in the Lions camp.

Dan Campbell breaks his silence on the Lions’ coaching overhaul

Dan Campbell finally spoke up, and as expected, he kept it real. After a wild offseason where Detroit lost both coordinators and a handful of assistants to promotions, the Lions had to hit the reset button on their staff. At his NFL Combine presser, Campbell gave the lowdown on the team’s new hires, and if there’s one thing that stood out—it’s that he made sure to bring in his guys.

One of the biggest moves? Promoting John Morton to offensive coordinator. Campbell made it clear this wasn’t just a random hire. “When we put this thing together, he was a part of this. I felt like that was the best move for us, was to get him back here.” But the biggest bonus? He already has a connection with Jared Goff. “Goff knows (him and is) comfortable with (him). He’s got a good rapport with Hank (Fraley, and) Bru (Mark Brunell).” Translation: Detroit wanted to keep Goff in his comfort zone while making sure the offense didn’t skip a beat.

For the rest of the offensive staff, Campbell sounded just as pumped. Scottie Montgomery, now coaching wide receivers, will have “a huge impact on the pass game.” Meanwhile, new running backs coach Tashard Choice is “probably one of the most coveted running backs coaches to come out of college in a while.” And with his prior relationship with Jahmyr Gibbs, the Lions are banking on a smooth transition. Campbell also gave a big stamp of approval to new assistants Bruce Gradkowski and Marques Tuiasosopo, saying he felt like “those guys belong to us… They ought to be with us.”

On defense, the headline move was promoting Kelvin Sheppard to defensive coordinator, and Campbell made it clear this wasn’t a snap decision. “I’ve always believed that Shep could be an outstanding coach… I just felt like, ‘Man, this guy will be ready to be a coordinator sooner than later’”. He also hyped up new defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers, someone he’s worked with before. “I know what the D-line is like with him coaching them… I think Hutch (Aidan Hutchinson) and those guys are going to really like him and gravitate to him.” Sounds like Detroit’s defense is in some trusted hands.

At the end of the day, Campbell’s got one rule—he wants guys who fit the Lions’ culture. Every single hire he made? Someone he trusts, someone who’s got experience with either him, his staff, or his players. And after Detroit’s deep playoff run last season, Campbell isn’t about to let the momentum slip. This new staff is built to keep the train rolling, and knowing Campbell, he’s expecting it to roll right through the NFC.