Kirk Cousins, the current quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons and a lifelong Chicago Bears fan from Illinois, recently commented on Bears head coach Ben Johnson. His remarks came following the Bears’ impressive run to the NFC Divisional Round in the 2025-26 NFL season.
During an interview on the Hoge & Jahns Bears insider podcast, Cousins expressed high regard for Johnson’s coaching abilities.
I remember he was the tight end coach in Detroit, and I was getting whispers from guys who I had played with who were in Detroit. They were texting me like, ‘This tight end coach is the real deal. He’s gonna be a dude someday.’ So people knew. And then he becomes the OC and they started to turn as a team once he did. And guys were texting me like, ‘This is Sean McVay, this is Kyle Shanahan, I’m telling you, we got that kind of guy here.’
?Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons quarterback
Johnson’s Influence on the Bears’ Recent Success
Cousins explained that once Johnson was hired as the Bears’ head coach, he expected the team to thrive—and the results backed that up. The Bears finished the 2025-26 season at 11-6, ultimately falling in the NFC Divisional Round to the Los Angeles Rams, coached by Sean McVay, whom Johnson was compared to early in his career.
Throughout that season, the Bears ranked 10th in PFSN’s Offense Impact metric with a score of 79.5. This marked a significant improvement for the franchise, as they had not won 11 games since their 12-4 record in 2018. Furthermore, the team had not advanced to the NFC Divisional Round since 2010, when they lost in the NFC Championship game with Jay Cutler as their quarterback.
This playoff run was only the Bears’ third since 2011 and first since 2020, underlining the substantial progress made under Johnson’s leadership in his debut season as an NFL head coach.
Speculation on Kirk Cousins’ Future with the Bears
An intriguing possibility raised by Cousins’ comments and circumstances is whether he might return to Illinois to join the Bears, potentially serving as a backup to quarterback Caleb Williams. At 37 years old and turning 38 before the upcoming season, Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons in March 2024 but is expected to be released during the offseason.
Though he might retire, Cousins displayed he retained some effectiveness last season, throwing 10 touchdowns in eight starts. While he may no longer be considered a dependable starter, he could be valuable as a veteran backup.
The Bears currently have a solid backup in Tyson Bagent, but Bagent could become trade assets for teams needing quarterbacks. This opens up a narrative where Cousins, a lifelong Bears fan, could finish his career supporting his childhood team, albeit this remains an unlikely but noteworthy storyline to watch.
Implications of Johnson’s Emergence and Cousins’ Potential Move
Ben Johnson’s rapid ascent to head coach and success with the Bears signals a promising future for the franchise. His approach has already led the team to playoff relevance after years of near misses. Meanwhile, the speculation around Kirk Cousins returning to Chicago adds a human-interest angle that resonates with fans who cherish local ties and veteran leadership.
As the NFL offseason moves forward, both Johnson’s Bears and Cousins’ next steps will attract close attention, with implications for Chicago’s roster depth and competitiveness in the seasons to come.
“He’s gonna be a dude someday” pic.twitter.com/NcfxMRBdkx
— Hoge & Jahns (@HogeAndJahns) February 11, 2026
