Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson is the latest offensive guru to get his first NFL head coaching job before his 40th birthday − and the latest example of an ongoing trend in hiring by the league’s owners.
The Bears formally introduced Johnson, 38, as their new head coach Wednesday, making him the second-youngest coach in the league behind Mike Macdonald of Seattle, who was hired last year. He is also the 14th coach in his 30s to be hired as an NFL head coach over the past five years − a group that is mostly white and with an expertise on the offensive side of the ball, like Johnson.
Over the past five years, more than 1 in 3 of the head coaching vacancies in the NFL have been filled by someone in their 30s as the average age of NFL head coaches has continued to decline, USA TODAY Sports data shows.