Liam Coen, Ben Johnson trade barbs on relative hype of Jaguars, Bears

NFL training camp is in full swing, giving us our first full looks at teams on the eve of the 2026 season. The start of camp also means we get our first look at what narratives and expectations teams are setting for themselves heading into the year.

Jaguars coach Liam Coen was quick to jump on the “Nobody believes in us!” train. Speaking with Jacksonville sports radio station 1010XL, Coen described the national media’s lack of interest in the Jaguars as a blessing in disguise, comparing the relative fanfare around their team to that of the Bears.

“What I said to the staff the other day, ‘This is the best part of coaching the Jacksonville Jaguars—you don’t have to make up telling your players stuff.’ You don’t have to make up the fire. You don’t have to make it up. It’s given to us every day,” Coen said. “It’s a gift from the heavens. I just scroll. I pull out my phone and look at the NFL Network website. I’m just curious if I see any photos or anything about the Jacksonville Jaguars. I think I’ll scroll right on through. I think I’ll see 40 pictures of Caleb Williams, and I won’t see a single thing about any of our players on here, and so it’s beautiful. This is great. Thank you. I’m going to tell all these guys how much you all think they suck, and we’ll just keep going.”

“All I’ll see is 40 pictures of Caleb Williams… and not a single thing about any of our players.” 😂

Liam Coen had a hilarious way of describing why he loves coaching the Jaguars on The Drill with Dan Hicken and Jeff Prosser.

🎥 WATCH NOW: https://t.co/E5etiiSE3n#DUUUVAL |… pic.twitter.com/idQZCvDMkK

— 1010 XL / 92.5 FM (@1010XL) July 30, 2026

That clip made the rounds on Thursday, and by Friday, Bears coach Ben Johnson weighed in with his own take on preseason expectations.

“Well, we’re the No. 1 regression candidate, so I think we’ve got plenty of motivation ourselves,” Johnson said when asked about Coen’s comments. “We talked about Caleb in the past; he’s used to handling a lot of attention, so I’m not worried about that.”

“Well, we’re the No. 1 regression candidate.”

Ben Johnson responds to Liam Coen talking about Caleb Williams and the idea of needing to be motivated: https://t.co/ajefZrGdVF pic.twitter.com/FetlaJnbyJ

— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) July 31, 2026

Both coaches here are taking some liberties in framing where their teams stand in the national hierarchy. Coen argues no one talks about the Jaguars because no one thinks they can win, when their lack of coverage is much more driven by simply being in Jacksonville and the AFC South. Johnson says the Bears have a chip on their shoulder because the narrative is that they are set to regress after their success last year. While that may be true, Caleb Williams in particular might be getting some extra attention this year because he’s on the cover of Madden, more than any larger feelings people have about Chicago as a team.

Luckily for both coaches, they’ll get the chance to settle which side has been more unfairly framed by the media on the field when they meet in Chicago in Week 13 of the season. Johnson has already had a few must-watch postgame handshakes in his career as a head coach—here’s another to add to the list.