https://sports.yahoo.com/initial-number-making-rounds-ben-230746081.html
We set the over/under at $14.5 million per year. That might have been high. But not by much.
The early figure on the NFL grapevine for the Ben Johnson contract in Chicago is $13 million per year.
If true (and one source characterized the figure as “speculation”), it’s a significant bump over the current entry-level number of roughly $8 million annually. But that’s the kind of figure that gets the attention of a guy with choices.
Based on his performance with the Lions, he’s worth it. Good coaches are worth far more than they get, largely because NFL owners have done a very effective job of keeping the market from going haywire.
Currently, at least 100 NFL players are making more than $19 million per year. A great head coach is worth at least that much, if not a whole lot more.
If the number is accurate (or in that ballpark), it’s another sign that the Bears are changing. And while some might be inclined to point to the willingness to blow the curve as a sign of dysfunction, it’s the opposite. The Bears are recognizing the importance of spending big, especially when there’s no salary cap for coaches.
You get what you pay for. To get Johnson, someone was going to have to pay a lot.
Remember last year, when ESPN reported that Johnson’s demands scared teams away without reporting what he was demanding? That’s on the teams for not recognizing and compensating value.
Their loss will be Chicago’s gain, if of course he will successfully pivot from being the mad scientist who draws up awesome plays to a head coach who can inspire a team to do great things.
That remains to be seen, but the roll of the dice is no different than the money that gets invested in high first-round picks with no guarantee that they’ll thrive at the next level.
https://sports.yahoo.com/initial-number-making-rounds-ben-230746081.html
