There's only one reason for the Bears not to hire Ben Johnson as head coach

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is the hottest name in NFL head coaching searches already this season. It's no wonder the Chicago Bears were linked to him even before they fired Matt Eberflus.

Hiring Johnson would be a no-brainer. He's one of the brightest offensive minds in football. He'd work wonders with a talent like Caleb Williams at quarterback.

Best of all, according to Tom Pelissero, Johnson is "intrigued" by the Bears opening and "will listen" to their pitch.

If Chicago gets the chance to pursue Johnson, they should do everything in their power to hire him. There's just one complication.

Current NFL assistants can't interview until after the regular season ends, which isn't that far away. However, Johnson didn't make his decision to stay with the Lions last year until Jan. 30, after the Lions lost the NFC Championship Game.

If Johnson follows the same timeline, his availability could be tied to Detroit's playoff performance. The Lions currently hold the No. 1 seed. Assuming they beat the 49ers in Week 17, their regular-season finale against the Vikings is likely to determine whether they'll have the bye and home field advantage.

Detroit has dealt with catastrophic injury issues on defense, but they're still an immensely impressive team, especially on offense. It would surprise no one for them to make another deep playoff run this year.

Waiting and whiffing on Ben Johnson is the Bears biggest worry as they search for head coach

Waiting for Johnson would surely be worth it, but only if he actually wants to take the job. And there's certainly no guarantee of that. He's proven over the last two seasons that he's willing to wait for the right opportunity. There's every chance he listens to the Bears only to reject them. Whatever back channeling Chicago can do ahead of time needs to be done to figure out just how serious Johnson is about considering them.

Other candidates could be off the table by the time the Bears get a chance to talk to Johnson. Mike Vrabel and Jesse Minter come to mind as candidates who will be available immediately.

Brian Flores and Joe Brady may take just as long to become available, but an early playoff exit for the Vikings or Bills would speed up that timeline.

If Vrabel wants the job, do you wait and risk losing him? If Minter, Flores or Brady are ready to go, do you delay only to let the Saints or Jets swoop in?

If I were the Bears, I would wait as long as it took to hire Johnson. There is a risk to waiting though, one Chicago has to consider.