Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams recently discussed being pranked by somebody texting him and pretending to be Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The prankster told Williams he was taking the Bears head coaching job.

Williams laughed about it on a podcast after finding out it was a joke, but he couldn’t hide his excitement or respect for Johnson, who was the hottest name in this coaching cycle.

Williams didn’t know Johnson’s phone number before the prank, but he’ll get it now. The Bears are finalizing a deal with Johnson to become the team’s next coach, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday.

The Lions ranked among the top five scoring offenses in the NFL during Johnson’s three years as the OC, finishing fifth in 2022 and 2023, and first in 2024 at 33.2 points per game.

The Bears will look for Johnson to maximize Williams’ potential, which was on display during a roller-coaster rookie season. Williams set franchise passing records, but he also suffered through a 10-game losing streak.

The Bears hope Johnson also stabilizes their coaching ranks. Chicago has hired seven head coaches — including interim ones — since its last playoff win in the 2010 season. The Bears are the only team in the NFC without a divisional playoff appearance in the past 10 years.

Taking a closer look, Bears reporter Courtney Cronin answers key questions about the hiring, while analyst Matt Bowen breaks down what Johnson brings to Chicago. Senior NFL reporter Kalyn Kahler predicts what Johnson’s staff might look like, national NFL Insider Dan Graziano dishes on what he’s hearing about the hire, and draft analyst Matt Miller spins it forward to the draft. Finally, analyst Ben Solak grades the hire.

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Was Johnson the top target all along?

When the Bears fired their offensive coordinator and head coach midseason for the first time in the organization’s 105-year history, it signified a shift inside Halas Hall. Chicago realized it could not afford to waste its most pivotal years for developing Williams and winning with him on his rookie contract, so nailing this hire with the biggest and best name available was the priority.

“You hate saying that decisions are going to set the trajectory of the franchise over the next 10 to 15 to 20 years; this is one that will,” Bears CEO and president Kevin Warren said days after the team fired Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29.

When the Bears officially began their search for the organization’s 19th head coach two weeks ago, their wide-net approach raised eyebrows around the league. The Bears interviewed candidates with extensive NFL head coaching experience (Mike Vrabel, Pete Carroll, Mike McCarthy and Ron Rivera) and some of the most sought after coordinators (Brian Flores, Todd Monken, Joe Brady) while also dipping into the college ranks (former Stanford coach David Shaw, current Tennessee State coach Eddie George). But Johnson’s name was always at the top of Chicago’s list.

Johnson had rebuffed interest from teams in the past, opting to stay in Detroit, but the number of teams that had him as their top candidate (Chicago, Las Vegas and Jacksonville) made a head coaching opportunity too much for Johnson to turn down. Some league sources say they were surprised by how quickly the Bears acted to land Johnson on the first day he was available to interview with teams in person after the Lions’ season concluded. But the Bears knew they weren’t Johnson’s only suitor and had to act quickly to land their top candidate.

General manager Ryan Poles stressed how important a plan to develop Williams would be for the candidate the Bears ended up choosing. Having seen twice a year how Johnson developed Jared Goff into one of the league’s best quarterbacks was a driving force behind why Johnson was the Bears’ top candidate all along. — Cronin

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What will the Bears’ offense look like under Johnson?

Johnson’s creative and aggressive style of playcalling should be seen as an immediate upgrade for Williams and the Chicago offense. As a rookie, Williams showed flashes of his playmaking upside, throwing for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns. However, his 46.7 QBR ranked 28th in the league, and he struggled to stay on schedule as a thrower.

Goff’s 64 QBR in 51 regular-season starts with Johnson was his best under any of his six offensive coordinators (or head coaches doubling as OC, such as Sean McVay). Next up was his 57 QBR in 32 starts under McVay. Goff topped 4,000 passing yards in each season under Johnson. The Bears’ next quarterback to top 4,000 passing yards will be their first.

Under Johnson’s coaching — in a system that will create more timing throws off play-action and movement while also setting up explosive plays — Williams should be expected to take a major step forward in 2025. Johnson can develop Williams to be more rhythmic in the pocket and maximize his ability to create and throw on the move. — Bowen

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What are you hearing around the league on the hire?

The Bears did a sprawling search but were connected to Johnson since early in the process. Over the past week, there was a feeling that Raiders minority owner Tom Brady was making a push to land Johnson in Las Vegas, but Chicago got aggressive after the Lions lost Saturday night and moved quickly to steal Johnson from its division rival. Now, the Bears can pair his innovative offensive mind with Williams. Jacksonville also had interest in Johnson, but sources say he was more comfortable with the front office setup in Chicago. As a first-time head coach, he’ll look to add experienced coaches to his staff, and sources tell me there’s a strong chance former Raiders and Saints head coach Dennis Allen will join as his defensive coordinator.

Early reaction to the hire around the league is positive, from what I can gather at the outset. Johnson is very well regarded as an offensive play designer and playcaller, and people who know him believe he has leadership qualities that can translate, as they say, from the small room to the big room. Time will tell, but if Williams’ development is priority No. 1 for the Bears, the belief is they’re in good hands with Johnson, who can assess the quarterback’s strengths and weaknesses and build an offense in which he can thrive. — Graziano

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What might the rest of his staff look like?

This is the most important question facing Johnson and one that ultimately will determine his success as head coach. Support staff is where the rubber meets the road. Eberflus’ staff didn’t live up to expectations, and it’s part of why he didn’t make it through his third season in Chicago. The Bears fired two offensive coordinators in three seasons, and 13 coaches total turned over during Eberflus’ tenure (including defensive coordinator Alan Williams, who resigned for personal reasons in 2023, and running backs coach David Walker, who was fired for HR reasons, also in 2023).

Johnson will likely call plays, as he has proved to be an especially creative playcaller. When the Lions beat the Bears at Chicago this season, Johnson called a fake-stumble play that resulted in a touchdown and was inspired by previous Bears film of Packers quarterback Jordan Love for-real stumbling in an earlier game. Lions receiver Tim Patrick said this about his coordinator: “I don’t know how you look at a play where somebody fell on accident and think, ‘I’m going to call that in the game.’ He’s just, he’s one-of-one when it comes to that playcalling, the timing of it and all that. So it’s literally, it’s him. He comes up with it, and we just execute it.”

Johnson’s hires on offense will be the most important because Williams will be on his fourth offensive coordinator (Shane Waldron, interim OC Thomas Brown, interim-interim OC Chris Beatty) when he starts his sophomore season. Williams’ development is paramount, and the previous offensive staff lacked coaches with proven experience developing rookie quarterbacks. This time, Johnson has experience in working directly with quarterbacks. He was assistant quarterbacks coach in Miami when Ryan Tannehill went into his second season, and was an offensive assistant during Tannehill’s rookie year. Chicago’s offensive line was another weakness in 2024, and in Detroit, Johnson worked with one of the league’s best offensive lines and with respected offensive line coach Hank Fraley. That allowed Johnson even more flexibility in designing plays that put a lot of responsibility on the O-line. — Kahler

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What do Lions players say about Johnson?

The first thing that comes up is his intensity. Offensive tackle Dan Skipper told me that he has been sure to maintain a 5-yard bubble around Johnson at all times during games. “You’re bound to get dog-cussed like nothing you’ve ever been before,” Skipper said. “The only one who gets to talk to him is Jared [Goff].

“He’s one of the most intense people you’ll ever meet, and he doesn’t put off like that, but he’s incredibly intense and, like, don’t get in his way.”

And, having stood in his vicinity during Lions training camp, I can say that Johnson treats practice just like a game. — Kahler

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How could the Bears improve their 2025 roster with the No. 10 overall pick?

The biggest key for Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles will be getting Williams to perform to the standards of a No. 1 overall pick. To do that, Williams needs a better scheme (which is coming with Johnson) and better protection. Left tackle Braxton Jones, who allowed five sacks this season, has been solid, but he will be a free agent after next season. Chicago could target left tackle Will Campbell (LSU) or Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas) at No. 10 with the idea of playing them at left guard for their rookie season and then evaluating their future in contrast with Jones’ free agent value.

The wide receiver corps is strong with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, but the group lacks the speed element that Jameson Williams brought to Detroit. Luther Burden III (Missouri) is likely to be the best receiver on the board at that selection and could be in play. It might seem counterintuitive to think defense at No. 10, but should Poles go with a best-player-available approach, the Bears could look to the defensive line if Mason Graham (Michigan) falls to them.

Chicago’s roster isn’t strong enough to target a single position in the first round — especially with two early picks in Round 2 — but addressing the offensive line with Campbell or Banks is the smartest play. — Miller

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How would you grade this hire?

A+. There’s no way of knowing any hire will work, so giving out an A-plus might be a fool’s errand, but this is the dream outcome for the Bears. Johnson started taking interviews after the 2022 season following his work with Jared Goff, and for two years has been the apple of the league’s eye for his highly creative and explosive offense. Johnson also likely benefited from learning under Dan Campbell — who is an excellent player’s coach with a great aptitude for in-game decision-making — and participated in a healthy long-term rebuild through the draft, which the Bears need.

Most importantly, Johnson is the sort of powerful offensive mind who can draw the best out of Williams — the future of Bears football if he hits. A coach like Johnson makes Williams hitting all the more likely. The Bears got their guy. — Solak

NEW ORLEANS — CJ McCollum highlighted a 45-point performance with 3-pointers and reverse layups in the clutch.

Dejounte Murray‘s relentless pressure on both ends of the court left him one rebound short of a triple-double.

And the New Orleans Pelicans pulled off the largest comeback in franchise history.

As injury-ridden, star-crossed and generally miserable as much of their season has been, the Pelicans don’t seem inclined to give up.

“Huge credit to our guys in the locker room pulling together,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said after his team erased a 25-point Utah lead and beat the Jazz 123-119 in overtime Monday night. “This was a hard game to win.”

Little has gone right for New Orleans this season.

Star power forward Zion Williamson, who recently returned from a left hamstring injury, couldn’t play against Utah on Monday because of a non-COVID illness. He has missed 34 of the Pelicans’ 44 games this season.

New Orleans’ top defender, Herb Jones, is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury, while high-scoring wing Brandon Ingram has missed 20 straight games with a left ankle sprain.

The Pelicans had further matchup problems inside against Utah because rookie 7-foot center Yves Missi missed his second straight game with a non-COVID illness.

Utah outrebounded New Orleans 63-45, had 23 second-chance points and outscored the Pelicans 60-40 in the paint. Yet New Orleans (12-32), which will be hard-pressed to climb back into contention for a postseason berth, won its fourth straight game and seventh in 10.

“We were missing some guys who rebound the ball well,” McCollum said. “Sometimes, it’s not Xs and Os. It’s Jimmies and Joes.”

The 33-year-old McCollum has scored 45 or more points twice in 10 games, starting with 50 in a victory over Washington on Jan. 3.

“CJ was incredible and once he got going I thought his teammates did a great job of trying to find him,” Green said. “We were drawing stuff up for him. He executed offensively over and over again. Without that effort, it’s hard for us to win that game.”

Now in his 12th NBA season, McCollum said he likes to think his game will “age well.”

“I ain’t out here dunking on people,” he said. “It’s skill. It’s strategy. It’s angles. It’s footwork. It’s a jump shot that never leaves. I’ll be able to shoot when I’m 40.”

Murray, who missed 17 games early this season with a hand injury, also is rounding into form and had 26 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds, and two steals on Monday.

“He was super, super aggressive when we needed him to be,” McCollum said.

Meanwhile, Trey Murphy III prolonged his recent run of productive form with 24 points, highlighted by a 3 late in overtime that all but sealed it. Additional help came from 2023 first-round draft choice Jordan Hawkins, who hit three 3-pointers and finished with 18 points.

McCollum lamented that one of New Orleans’ three most recent losses came by a single point in Boston, where he missed a last-second floater for the win.

“I don’t take these wins for granted because it took us like two months to get five wins,” McCollum said. “You’ve got to ride the wave and just keep your perspective in check.”

The Pelicans were scheduled to play next on Wednesday night at home against Milwaukee. In the meantime, McCollum planned to make the best of a day off on Tuesday, when a rare snow storm was forecast for south Louisiana.

“I hope there’s lots of snow,” said McCollum, a father of a 3-year-old boy, “so I can play in the snow with my son.”

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Justin Hastings of the Cayman Islands built a four-shot lead with an 8-under 64, and then held on to win the Latin American Amateur Championship in a 36-hole marathon Saturday that sends him to the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open.

Hastings, a senior at San Diego State, becomes the second player from the Cayman Islands in the last four years to win the Latin American Amateur, joining Aaron Jarvis.

Patrick Sparks of Peru put together a bold rally in the fourth round and finally caught Hastings with a birdie on the 16th hole. But he three-putted for bogey on the par-3 17th at Pilar Golf Club, and Hastings finished with a par to win by one.

Hastings closed with a 72, while Sparks had a 68.

“To have two champions from the Cayman Islands — we have 27 holes down there, limited, super competitive golf,” Hastings said. “So to see him do what he did a few years ago really inspired the whole island and inspired me and taught us that we can compete out here and we can do these great things.

The 2025 Latin America Amateur champion.

With this @LAAC_Golf victory, Justin Hastings has earned his place in the field for the 89th Masters Tournament. pic.twitter.com/uerDjHziJV

— The Masters (@TheMasters) January 19, 2025

“To be able to follow in his footsteps a few years later and get it done is super amazing.”

Tournament officials decided to start the final round immediately after the third round ended because of a bad weather forecast for Sunday, and there was an hour delay because of storms. They finished, and it came down to the wire.

Sparks, who played and now is an assistant at North Carolina-Wilmington, cut the four-shot deficit in half after three holes and he was within one shot heading to the back nine.

Hastings built the lead to three shots after Sparks took bogey on the par-5 10th and Hastings made birdie at No. 12. But there was a two-shot swing on the 13th — Hastings made bogey and Sparks made birdie — and it was race to the finish.

Sparks as the runner-up is exempt into the final stage of qualifying for the U.S. Open and British Open this year.

“I learned a lot. Being with the leaders, it’s a different type of pressure, knowing what’s on the line, three majors,” he said. “It’s not something that you’re used to and it’s not something that you see every day. Being in this position, I’m very grateful for it.”

Hastings, who made the cut in the Latin American Amateur at age 14, has played Royal Portrush (site of the British Open) in a British Boys event. He was most looking forward to Augusta National.

“I grew up a huge Masters nut. Every Thursday when the Masters was on, I’d be sick from school to watch the first day,” he said. “Just to be sitting here in this position and think that I’m going to be in that field is something I don’t think has quite hit me.

“But man, am I excited for it.”

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors will be without Draymond Green for at least a week because of a mild calf strain, the team said Monday.

Green underwent an MRI on Sunday, and the team said Monday that its defensive leader will be reevaluated in one week.

He suffered the injury three minutes into Saturday’s win against Washington. He had just returned from a three-game absence due to illness and a back issue.

“He’s such a unique player,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before facing the Boston Celtics on Monday. “He’s one of the best playmaking bigs in the league playing with Steph [Curry]. When he goes out, we become more traditional, spread the floor, put shooters out there.

“Steph and Dray have such a connection that when they’re together out there, they’re playing their game and we’re playing our game. As soon as Draymond leaves the floor, it becomes a different game.”

Green did not play Monday and will also miss games this week at Sacramento, against Chicago and against the Los Angeles Lakers.

He is the Warriors’ latest key player to be sidelined. Jonathan Kuminga injured his right ankle on Jan. 4 and was ruled out for at least three weeks. He likely will need longer than that to return. Brandin Podziemski has been out since Dec. 28 with an abdominal injury, and Kyle Anderson is out with a glute injury.

World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler said he isn’t sure whether he’ll play in next week’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the second signature event of the PGA Tour season, as he continues to recover from surgery to remove glass fragments from his right hand after a cooking accident.

Scheffler, speaking to reporters Monday via video at a media day for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, said he was hurt while making homemade ravioli for dinner on Christmas Day.

“Everything went well with the surgery,” Scheffler said. “Body feels pretty good, still making decisions on schedule going forward.”

Scheffler’s manager, Blake Smith, said in a statement last month that the two-time Masters champion suffered a puncture wound to the hand and would be sidelined for about three to four weeks.

Scheffler skipped the season-opening tournament, the Sentry in Kapalua, Hawaii, which was won by Hideki Matsuyama. Scheffler was also scheduled to compete in last week’s American Express in La Quinta, California, where Sepp Straka won by two strokes.

After pulling out of the American Express, Scheffler was aiming to return for the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, in which he tied for sixth last year at 13 under during the 54 holes in a weather-shortened tournament, four strokes behind winner Wyndham Clark.

Scheffler has until Friday to enter the Pebble Beach field.

“Just want to make sure I’m getting back to normal, progressing the right way in recovery,” Scheffler said. “I’m definitely anxious to get back, excited to get back, but I’m also not going to rush back just to rush back. … But everything’s on schedule, so we’ll see.”

Scheffler, the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year and FedEx Cup champion, wouldn’t say Monday when he returned to hitting golf balls.

Scheffler watched a lot of video of his play in old tournaments over the past few weeks to “jog my memory, and since I wasn’t able to play golf, I tried to almost train a little bit at home to remind my brain what I was feeling over certain shots, what my hands felt like on the club, stuff like that.”

“It was pretty unusual for me not to be able to do much in the gym,” Scheffler said. “I was still able to get in there and do some movement stuff and some of the stuff I usually do with my legs, but as far as upper body goes, I’m not going to go and just work out the left side of my body and come into the season walking like this [leaning to the right side].”

Scheffler last competed on the PGA Tour in the 2024 finale at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, where he finished first for his seventh victory of the season. He also captured the Hero World Challenge, an unofficial event in the Bahamas, in early December.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo will be out indefinitely due to a Grade 3 left toe sprain and will receive additional opinions, the team announced Monday.

DiVincenzo, a 6-foot-4 guard in his seventh season out of Villanova, had missed the past two games with the injury.

“It’s indefinite at this stage,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said before Monday’s game against Memphis. “We’re still waiting to gather more information, and what the procedure will be.”

DiVincenzo’s foot has been placed in a boot, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania. He was averaging 17.5 points, 4.7 assists and 42% shooting on 3s as a starter in the past six games.

DiVincenzo, who came to Minnesota in June as part of the trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks, recently moved into the starting lineup and scored a season-high 28 points Wednesday in a 116-115 loss to Golden State.

Overall, DiVincenzo is averaging 11 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists this season.

The PGA Tour continues its West Coast swing this week with the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego. The winner will earn $1.674 million of the $9.3 million purse and 500 FedEx Cup points.

French Olympian Matthieu Pavon returns to defend his title in a field that won’t include Xander Schauffele. The two-time major champion will miss the event after withdrawing from last week’s American Express in La Quinta, California, due to a medical reason, according to his manager. Schauffele will miss his first Farmers Insurance Open since making his debut at Torrey Pines in 2016 as a Korn Ferry Tour member. World No. 4 Collin Morikawa also withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open. There was no official reason given for his departure.

Here are key facts about the 2025 event:

When is the Farmers Insurance Open?

It runs Wednesday to Saturday.

How can fans watch?

Fans can tune in on ESPN+ via the ESPN streaming hub.

What is the schedule?

*All times Eastern

Fans can access eight traditional PGA TOUR LIVE streams each day of the event.

Wednesday: Coverage starts at 11:45 a.m.

Thursday: Coverage starts at 11:45 a.m.

Friday: Coverage starts at 11:45 a.m.

Saturday: Coverage starts at 12 p.m.

Which top players will be playing in the event?

▪︎ Hideki Matsuyama

▪︎ Ludvig Åberg

▪︎ Keegan Bradley

▪︎ Sahith Theegala

▪︎ Sungjae Im

How can fans access other golf content from ESPN?

Check out the ESPN golf hub page for the latest news, scores, schedules, rankings and more.

SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors star forward Draymond Green has been ruled out of Monday’s home game against the Boston Celtics with a left calf strain, while Stephen Curry is questionable with a left ankle sprain.

Head coach Steve Kerr said Green was supposed to undergo an MRI on Sunday, and the Warriors are expected to give an update on his injury Monday.

The Warriors could be looking at some time without their defensive leader, who limped off the floor just three minutes into Saturday’s game with the calf injury and was ruled out shortly after that.

Green had just returned after missing the three previous games due to illness and a back issue.

Curry, meanwhile, injured his left ankle near the end of Saturday’s 122-114 win over the Washington Wizards. He said Saturday in the locker room that he “feels great” and “see you on Monday.”

The Warriors (21-20) have been hit hard by injuries. Jonathan Kuminga injured his right ankle on Jan. 4 and was ruled out for at least three weeks. He likely will need longer than that to return. Brandin Podziemski has been out since Dec. 28 with an abdominal injury. Kyle Anderson is out with a glute injury.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Englishman Tyrrell Hatton held off Daniel Hillier of New Zealand to win the Dubai Desert Classic by a stroke on Sunday, equaling Jon Rahm‘s record of five Rolex Series victories.

Overnight leader Hillier birdied the last to put pressure on his playing partner but Hatton held his nerve to hole his par putt from seven feet and secure the win.

“It feels amazing,” Hatton said. “I said earlier in the week, this is one of the events that you would like to have on your CV. It’s such an iconic event for the DP World Tour. To add my name to the list of the amazing champions that have been before me, and to have my name on that trophy now, it’s a dream come true.”

The Rolex Series includes a few events with elevated purses every season. Hatton hadn’t won one of these tournaments since Abu Dhabi in 2021.

Hatton shot a 3-under 69 in the final round Sunday to finish 15 under overall to edge Hillier (71) and fellow Englishman Laurie Canter (68) in third, another shot back.

“I’m not going to lie, I was pretty nervous on the back nine to be honest,” Hatton said. “I guess I just maybe wanted it a bit too much. I knew the position I was in, and a little bit scruffy down the last. But yeah, to see that putt go in felt amazing. Just so happy to win.”

The 26-year-old Hillier, ranked 223rd in the world, was seeking his first win on the European tour since his first victory on the tour at the British Masters in July 2023. He hadn’t had a top-10 finish since the Open de España in October 2023.

“It’s bittersweet, that’s for sure,” he said. “Yeah, I didn’t have my best today, obviously, but I fought hard all day, just barely gave myself a chance down the stretch. Hats off to Tyrrell. He was pretty solid down the stretch there. He’s class. Well done to him.”

Rory McIlroy (66), who was seeking a third straight title at the tournament, finished joint fourth on 12 under with Niklas Norgaard (66) of Denmark.

Japan’s Keita Nakajima, who tied for 21st, finished with an albatross at the par-five 18th.

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault will lead one of the four teams in next month’s NBA All-Star Game in San Francisco.

Daigneault earned his first All-Star head coach nod after the Thunder clinched the best record in the Western Conference through games of Feb. 2, improving to 35-7 with Sunday’s 127-101 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Daigneault is the first Oklahoma City head coach to earn the honor since Scott Brooks in the 2013-14 season.

Daigneault’s selection also assures that a Thunder assistant coach will be the head coach for one of the other four NBA All-Star teams. The head coach and an assistant from the Eastern Conference squad with the best record through Feb. 2 will coach the other two teams.

The NBA adopted a new one-night All-Star Game tournament this season with three teams comprised of eight All-Stars drafted to teams by former NBA players Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal of TNT’s “Inside the NBA.”

The winner of the Rising Stars challenge competition between first- and second-year players will be the fourth team in the All-Star Game tournament.

Field Level Media contributed to this report.