Ranking Ben Johnson's most viral moments, from 'F— the Packers' rant to shirtless celebration in Bears locker room

Daniel Mader

•
Ranking Ben Johnson's most viral moments, from 'F— the Packers' rant to shirtless celebration in Bears locker room image

When it comes to showcasing their personalities, NFL head coaches tend to have drastically differing opinions about how to lead their team. Some prefer to remain level-headed in any public-facing appearance as a role model for their players to remain calm and emotion-free. Others, however, don't mind stirring up some drama every once in a while.

Ben Johnson certainly falls under the latter category, as the Chicago Bears' 2025 hire quickly become one of the most unique personalities in the NFL. Prior to joining the Bears, Johnson was already well-known by fans for his offensive genius, capable of drawing up plays with the best of them and getting his players to run a trick-play to perfection.

In Chicago, however, Johnson has shown off a much more exuberant side of himself — from expletive-filled speeches about the Bears' top rivals, the Green Bay Packers, to shirtless celebrations with his team.

Here's a look at five of Johnson's most viral moments in his coaching career so far.

MORE: Did Ben Johnson play in the NFL?

5. Calls out Matt LaFleur in Bears' opening press conference

From the moment Johnson became the Bears' head coach, he wasn't shy about his goals and how his team would reach them.

In his introductory press conference on Jan. 22, 2025, Johnson had some typical coaching statements — acknowledgements to who got him to that role, excitement to coach Caleb Williams and a talented roster, and a player-driven vision for the franchise — but it was a specific rivalry comment that caught the attention of the rest of the NFL.

"I wanted to stay in this division. I know this is the toughest division in football right now. There's three teams that made the playoffs this year. I've got a tremendous amount of respect for the coaches and the players in this league, having competed against them for the past six years. Dan Campbell, Kevin O'Connell, you talk about two guys that are up for Coach of the Year awards as the season ends here," Johnson said. "And to be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year."

While he said the last sentence with a smile, Johnson made one thing clear: the Bears would be making their rivalry with the Packers a key aspect under his leadership. And the 2025 season only proved that, as Chicago beat Green Bay twice, including in the first round of the playoffs. 

But this wouldn't be the last time Johnson had some particularly choice words or actions when it came to LaFleur and the Packers organization.

MORE: Where does Ben Johnson rank among the NFL's youngest coaches?

4. Trick plays, from Penei Sewell TD to fake Jared Goff fall

Johnson's audacity to do just about anything may be more clear in his play-calling than his words. That was obvious in his role as the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator, where he was blessed with some of the best skill-position players in the NFL.

While there's no specific "moment" listed here, it's hard to argue that there's another play-caller in the NFL right now who runs better trick plays than Johnson. Just take a look at some of the plays his teams have manufactured.

Lions offensive lineman occasionally had touchdown opportunities under Johnson, from Penei Sewell to Dan Skipper.

@nflaunz The @Detroit Lions are havin’ fun ‼️🫡 (this play was called back by penalty) #nfl #football #trickplay #lions #detroit #onepride ♬ original sound - NFLAUNZ

Below is a collection of 10 trick plays from the Lions' 2024 season alone, including a fake punt, hook-and-ladders, a reverse flea-flicker, running back David Montgomery throwing a touchdown pass and a Jared Goff receiving touchdown.

One of the best trick plays Johnson has ever come up with, however, was a "fake fall" play. In 2024, he had his quarterback, Goff, pretend to stumble after taking the snap, fooling the defense before shooting up and finding a man wide-open for a touchdown.

While Johnson isn't in the spotlight for these moments, they all came from his engineering behind the scenes — he's been the mastermind behind plenty of viral trick-plays over the years.

MORE: Why did Ben Johnson leave the Lions?

3. Shirtless celebration in Bears' locker room

There was a side to Johnson that he had never revealed before until November 2025, when his Bears squad beat the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on the road on Black Friday. 

According to ESPN, Chicago hot dog restaurant "The Wieners Circle" said it would give away free hot dogs if Johnson took off his shirt in celebration after any win in the 2025 season. Johnson eventually gave in.

On Black Friday, Johnson ripped off his shirt in the Bears' locker room as the team went crazy, celebrating its 24-15 win.

Later on, Johnson said his wife laughed at the clip, and his daughter watched the clip and said,"no shirt."

"Any time you get the chance to feed a city, you want to do it," Johnson said, referring to the hot dog stand's challenge. "Man of the people."

Johnson provided the full context of the shirtless celebration later on, saying he found out "The Wieners Circle" would give out the free hot dogs if he did so.

"It was one of those things, after that game, the moment felt right," Johnson said. "The guys, it's all about them. I hate to take the attention away from them. 

MORE: How the Bears built an NFC North champion in 2025

2. Handshake battle with Matt LaFleur

Naturally, the top-two viral Ben Johnson moments on this list come down to the Bears-Packers rivalry he's helped re-ignite. 

The first time Chicago and Green Bay met in the 2025 season, months after Johnson's introductory press conference comments about beating LaFleur twice a year, things were already clearly not buddy-buddy between the two coaches.

In Week 14, a 28-21 Packers win, LaFleur gave a brief handshake to Johnson after the game, clearly not interested in any kind words.

Two weeks later, the Packers blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and lost 22-16 in overtime to the Bears in Chicago. The coaches' postgame interaction wasn't terribly out of the ordinary, at least making eye contact this time around.

It was in the playoffs when things got the most spicy. Chicago rallied in the fourth quarter to eliminate Green Bay at home, and the Johnson-LaFleur handshake was the most fascinating one yet.

Johnson quickly approached LaFleur, half-shook his hand while speeding by him in a low stance, then dashed off to celebrate with his players. LeFleur didn't appear too happy about it.

Here's a slow-motion angle of the interaction:

MORE: Ranking the best Bears players ever 

1. "F--- the Packers" speech to Bears

The best Johnson moment to-date also came after the Bears' divisional round win over the Packers in January 2026. After all his drama with LaFleur, Johnson took it one step further.

"F--- the Packers! F--- them!" Johnson screamed to his team in the locker room after the game. "F---ing hate those guys!"

Johnson was unapologetic for his language toward his team's top rival. 

"There's a rivalry that exists between these two teams. It's something that I fully recognize that I'm a part of," Johnson said. "I don't like that team."

MORE: Did Caleb Williams grow up a Packers fan?

Content Producer

Editorial Team