Bears chairman George McCaskey deflects Tom Brady question, instead takes shot at Joe Buck

Two days before he was announced as the Chicago Bears head coach, Ben Johnson coached in the NFC Divisional Round as the Detroit Lions took on the Washington Commanders. Tom Brady was on the call for FOX, which was interesting as the Las Vegas Raiders – for which he’s a part-owner – were reportedly heavily pursuing Johnson as head coach.

Brady’s presence in the booth generated some conversation considering his role in the Raiders’ coaching search. After Johnson chose Chicago, though, a reporter asked Bears chairman George H. McCaskey about the FOX broadcast. Rather than address Brady calling the game, he instead decided to take a shot at Joe Buck.

Buck called Saturday’s opener between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs for ESPN alongside Troy Aikman. But that didn’t stop McCaskey from cracking a joke about FOX’s former lead play-by-play man.

What did Bears chairman George McCaskey think of Tom Brady being on the Lions-Commanders broadcast Saturday?

"I don’t care who they put on," he said, then added, "When Joe Buck’s on, I turn the sound down."

— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) January 22, 2025

“I don’t care who they put on,” McCaskey said when asked about Brady calling Lions vs. Commanders. “When Joe Buck’s on, I turn the sound down.”

It sure seems like McCaskey had no problem with Brady in the booth alongside Kevin Burkhardt as the Commanders knocked off the Lions. After all, that upset opened the door for his Bears to swoop in and hire Johnson – the belle of the ball this coaching cycle – as their next head coach to replace Matt Eberflus.

George McCaskey on Ben Johnson: ‘Go get him’

Johnson had his options this year, with Las Vegas emerging as a top suitor. Ultimately, though, he chose Chicago and will now work closely with Caleb Williams. He knows the Bears organization well from his time in Detroit, where the Lions ranked among the best offenses in the NFL during his time as offensive coordinator.

This year, as Detroit became the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Lions led the NFL in scoring and ranked No. 2 in total yards. That came after Johnson opted to return for one more season as offensive coordinator despite interest from multiple teams last year, including Washington.

The Bears conducted a wide-ranging coaching search to replace Eberflus, who was fired after a Thanksgiving game – appropriately, against the Lions – marred with clock management issues. They interviewed roughly 16 candidates for the position, including former Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy.

All it took was one Zoom call with Johnson to bring him to town, though. He stood out early, and George McCaskey had a simple message to general manager Ryan Poles when he declared Johnson his top target.

“When Ryan says, ‘This is the guy we want,'” McCaskey said of the hiring process that led the Bears to Johnson. “I said, ‘Go get him.'”