Bears Game Sunday will feature a familiar matchup at Soldier Field, with Chicago coach Ben Johnson facing New York Jets coach and defensive play-caller Aaron Glenn for the first time since they worked together in Detroit.
That reunion gives the game a different layer. Johnson and Glenn were both part of the Lions' coaching staff from 2022-24, and their relationship goes back to a stretch of close collaboration that helped shape Johnson's early work as a play caller. Johnson said Glenn "certainly lights a fire under you," and added that being next to him in training camp was an education because "you can hear him" and "when the defense makes a play, he lets you know."
A familiar opponent with a different role
Johnson also called Glenn "a darn good football coach schematically," while noting that the Bears have only "three games of him calling" plays right now. That matters because Glenn is not just a head coach in this matchup; he is also the Jets' defensive voice, which gives Sunday’s game a personal and tactical edge for Chicago’s offense.
The timing adds to the storyline. In January 2025, Johnson and Glenn interviewed for head coaching jobs at the same time, and their first virtual interviews came inside an empty practice facility while the Lions were on a Round 1 playoff bye. The Bears ultimately chose Johnson as their first head coach, while Glenn landed with the Jets.
What has changed since Detroit
Both coaches have already moved into new chapters. Johnson led the Bears to the NFC North title in his first year in 2026, while Glenn went 3-14 in his first season with New York and replaced 12 of 22 assistant coaches this offseason. It is also not Johnson’s first time facing a former Detroit boss; the Bears were 0-2 in games against Dan Campbell last year.
That history makes Sunday more than a standard conference matchup. It is a meeting between two coaches who know each other well, understand where the other came from, and now have to show what their own systems look like when the other side has seen the same ideas up close.
