Bears coach shares story about kindness of Chiefs’ Andy Reid and wife, Tammy
Since breaking into the NFL in 2012, Bears coach Ben Johnson has worked in a variety of jobs on the offensive side of the ball.
Johnson was the Lions’ offensive coordinator for three seasons before being hired earlier this year by the Bears. Like others in the game, Johnson has long admired Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who is one of four coaches in NFL history with more than 300 wins.
On Friday night, Johnson and Reid will be on opposite sidelines as head coaches when the Chiefs face the Bears in a preseason game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
“What I love about him is he’s done it for a long time. So you can go back to Philly,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday. “And early on in Philly, it was West Coast offense really at its core. And now, when you look at the offense, it’s evolved so much. And so I think he does what all the good coaches do, and they continue to push the limits a little bit and find out what their guys do well.
“And I think he’s really been the epitome of that. He’s done a great job of whoever his quarterback is, he’s going to find a way to have success on offense. And you can tell the players love playing for him. He’s authentic, he’s true to himself. And we have a number of guys in the building here that were at Kansas City at some point, and I just love picking their brains, because he’s like the GOAT right now in this league.”
The NFL head coaches gather annually at the league’s owner meetings, and that’s where Johnson saw the reverence peers have for Reid.
“A bunch of the head coaches (were) together, and they kind of part the Red Sea for him,” Johnson said. “He walks on up because he’s held in such high regard. And so I thought it was pretty cool to see that for the first time at the owner meetings this year.”
Johnson recalled chatting with Reid this spring in Palm Beach, Florida, but that wasn’t what stood out most.
It was the generous spirit shown by Reid and his wife, Tammy.
“He and his wife are both really welcoming to new coaches, particularly first-time coaches,” Johnson said. “And so I know his wife, I think, reached out to my wife before that event. And then we had a couple conversations while we were there.”
Bears’ plans for Friday
Johnson said everyone would be playing in Friday’s game at Arrowhead Stadium. That includes the starters, but Johnson wasn’t sure when he would pull them.
“ It sounds like KC is going to play their starters too,” Johnson said, “so should have some good competition there.”
This story was originally published August 21, 2025 at 9:16 AM.